Manipulation Of Roderigo In Shakespeare's Othello

Words: 689
Pages: 3
Open Document
William Shakespeare's Othello depicts the misfortune of Othello, the Moor of Venice as he and many others are manipulated by Iago, the antagonist. Fueled by anger, Iago seeks revenge on Othello when he does not choose him as his lieutenant. With careful planning, Iago successfully tricks him into believing that his dear wife, Dedsdemona, was cheating on him with his friend and lieutenant, Cassio. Along the way, Iago manages to manipulate and use Roderigo, also Othello's friend, in order to succeed in this devious plan. When Roderigo contemplates suicide due to jealousy, Iago uses his state of being to his advantage. Iago counsels Roderigo to follow and control his own mind through a metaphor of a garden. At this moment, Iago manages to acquire …show more content…
Throughout the play, it is apparent that Roderigo is often controlled by his emotions. Iago realizes that this flaw opens up perfect opportunities to use for his own desires. Early in the play, in 1.1, Roderigo is devastated by the fact that he lost Desdemona, the love of his life, to Othello. As a result, Iago pounces on Roderigo's state of sadness to develop an ally against Othello by giving him hope and a sense of trustability. However, this is not the only time that Iago uses his weaknesses for his own advantage. Later in the play, after the Duke approves of Othello and Desdemona's marriage, Roderigo becomes consumed by jealousy and goes to the extreme of wanting to drown himself. Once again, Iago comes to the "rescue"; however this time, he has his speech. He says, "Virtue? A fig!...Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners." (1.3.361—4). In simple terms, he believes that honor and integrity are worthless; we have control over our own minds and success. Inspired by this speech, Roderigo gains confidence and pays Iago a large sum of money with the hope that he will help him win Desdemona. Unfortunately, Roderigo is extremely oblivious to Iago's true …show more content…
Through his speech, the audience is able to grasp Iago's values and intentions— revenge and chaos. In the play, Iago never gave a true, consistent reason on why he wanted to ruin Othello's reputation and relationship with Desdemona, which allows readers to conclude that he just wants to cause chaos for entertainment and the amusement of seeing people suffer. It is no surprise that people fall for his fake, yet honest demeanor. At a glance, he seems like an honest and loyal friend with philosophical and informative knowledge. In truth, he is self-interested with a malicious intent. It becomes surprising how Othello did not choose Iago to be his lieutenant, given his knowledge and
Show More

Related Documents: Manipulation Of Roderigo In Shakespeare's Othello

The Relationship Between Iago And Othello

Research Paper (Othello) 5 November 2015 Esau Gutierrez The Relationship between Iago and Othello Well Iago and Othello’s relationship was not like any other, it was very convoluted. Othello has fully trust on Iago, probably like a brother to him. How do they know each other? Well, they were both in the military, Othello is a noble general and Iago is an officer. They both had a decent close military relationship. Iago, who his jealous of Othello, wants revenge against Othello by targeting Desdemona…

Words 550 - Pages 3

Othello - Deception and Vision Essay

Deception and Vision in Shakespeare’s Othello Walter Scott once stated, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave... when first we practice to deceive” (Quotation). Scott’s statement is overwhelmingly evident in William Shakespeare's Othello. Deception is a reoccurring theme in Othello, that touches each character individually and on various levels. The theme that affects Othello directly is vision. Vision is the “ocular proof” that Othello demands from Iago, and how his actions are based on what he hears…

Words 1511 - Pages 7

Iago s Misery Essay

Bergen Composition 1102-V Iago’s Misery In most of Shakespeare’s works of art, there would be always one character in each story that stands out in a more complex way than usual. This character description describes Iago perfectly. Iago was certain that even though he was young at the age of 28, he was more than qualified to become Othello’s lieutenant. Knowing this, it is understood why Iago reacted by carrying out a plot of deceit against Othello; His injured merit. Iago took a jab at Michael Cassio’s…

Words 806 - Pages 4

Iago and Othello Essay

does. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the villain of the story, Iago, masters the act of deception and is able to deceive every character in the play in some way. He is able to be so successful in his deception because of the honesty and trust he established between himself and the other characters, his understanding of the other characters and his ability to manipulate other people to get what he wants. Throughout the play, Iago is often referred to as “honest Iago”. Othello states that “Iago…

Words 1045 - Pages 5

Manipulation In Shakespeare's Othello Is Still Relevant Today

Othello, by William Shakespeare, was written in the 1600's and Othello, the protagonist, is one of Shakespeare's most compelling and unfortunate heroes. The author set the story in the Italian State of Venice. Being one of Shakespeare’s most well-known works, it was written for the 16th century audience, however an abundant amount of themes shown throughout the story are timeless. Most of the disastrous plots and themes that took place in the story were caused by one of the many antagonists, Iago…

Words 1522 - Pages 7

Is Othello a Tragic Hero? Essay

To what extent can Othello be considered a ‘tragic hero’? The extent of which Othello is a tragic hero has been open to much debate; the basis on which he is judged falls to Aristotle’s established view of the crucial elements that distinguish whether a person is truly tragic. According to Aristotle, a tragic protagonist is a nobleman or person from high status, who contributes to his own demise and illustrates a flaw or weakness in judgment. The tragic protagonist must make a fall from a high…

Words 1454 - Pages 6

Othello and Different Senses of Abnorma Essay

Othello and Different Senses of Abnormal As inconsequential as they may initially seem, the various types of abnormalities in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello do impact upon the audience. Let us explore this subject of the deviant in this play. In the essay “Wit and Witchcraft: an Approach to Othello” Robert B. Heilman discusses the abnormal attitude and plans of the ancient as manifested in his verbal imagery: If we take all the lines of one character out of context…

Words 2129 - Pages 9

Othello and Desdemona Essay examples

Essay #1 [5] In the tragedy Othello, Shakespeare illustrates how all humans are vulnerable to destruction even if they're in a position of power. Othello marries young, white Desdemona, something not so daily in the Venetian society. All the relationships in the play are used to demonstrate the vulnerability of people when involved personally with other people. Each of the relationships in Othello portrays insecurities in each person, except Iago. All of the relationships with Iago…

Words 936 - Pages 4