Shakespeare?S Othello – Iago Essay, Research Paper

In act one of Othello, Shakespeare?s character, Iago, shows how deceitful and disloyal

people can be. Iago?s disloyalty towards Othello and Cassio is portrayed through the lies

he tells to Barbantio, Othello, and Cassio.

Othello wants revenge on Othello because he thinks that Othello slept with his

wife, Emilia, and because he gave Cassio the promotion Iago thought he deserved.

Therefor he also wants to get back at Cassio.

In the first scene Iago and Roderigo wake up Barbantio by yelling at him from

outside his house. When he comes outside they tell him that Othello has stolen his

daughter, Desdemona, although Desdemona willingly married Othello. His disloyalty is

evident by his disrespectful comments about Othello, especially when he says ?an old black

ram is tupping your white ewe? (Othello p.13).

Iago continues to deceive Othello in the second scene. The first time the two are

together Iago warns Othello that Barbantio has sent a search party after him. He is

pretending to be Othello?s friend even though he is the one that convinced Barbantio to

seek out Othello. When they see somebody approaching them, Iago warns Othello ?those

are the raised father and his friends. You were best go in? (p.23). This is when Iago?s

deceit becomes painfully obvious. When Othello is not around he has nothing good to say

about him. ?I hate the Moor? (p.55). However, when he is face to face with Othello he

acts like he cares about him. He acts like his friend.

Iago also does the same thing to Cassio. He plans his attack of lies on Cassio when

he says about Cassio ?he holds me well. The better shall my purpose work on him? (p.55).

Which means that because Cassio likes him, it will not be hard for Iago to trick him.

These three examples are a mere taste of what Iago does throughout the story.

However, they are very good examples. They show how deceitful and disloyal Iago is, and

how deceitful and disloyal people can be.

Bibliography

Shakespeare, William. Othello The Moor Of Venice.