The Manipulation Of Iago In Othello - 1112 Words

Throughout the play Shakespeare presents Iago as the most manipulative character.Iago attempts to control and manipulate the characters by revealing and exploiting their fatal flaw to bring about their downfall. At the beginning of the play the audience witness Iagos manipulation toward Roderigo. Roderigo is blinded by his love for Desdemona and is prepared to try anything to win her heart.This makes it easy for Iago to manipulate Roderigo since he knows Roderigo is controlled by his emotions and therefore is not a logical thinker. Roderigo is initially displeased with Iago as he has paid him to promote a marriage between him and Desdemona.He first pinpoints the enemy of Othello by telling Roderigo that Othello has just eloped with his†¦show more content†¦This antithesis suggests everything is not what it seems creating dramatic irony and foreshadowing future events. Additionally, Shakespeare uses harsh, negative language to make Iago’s dialogue uncomfortable for the audience. Phrases such as ‘plague with flies’, ‘tupping’, ‘devil’ and ‘beast with two backs’ makes it obvious for the audience that Iago is the enemy of the pl ay and begins to show his manipulative nature. Some people may say that Iago uses words as weapons in order to shock, scare and control people which leads to Othello’s disintegration. The use of ‘devil’ is also slightly ironic as Iago is using it to describe Othello when in actual fact he himself is the devilish, villainous character. Iago’s language is especially dominant when he speaks to Brabantio as he melodramatically uses the repetition of the noun ‘Thieves’ to describe Othello’s marriage to Desdemona, this negative connotation implies that something has been stolen from Brabantio and that Desdemona is a possession to be owned by a man. Iago takes the love that Desdemona has for Othello and turns it into a crime in order to ‘rouse’ Brabantio so that Iago has the power and control in the conversation. A Shakespearean audience would have connected to Iagos behaviour due to Desdemona’s disloyalty to her father because it was the fathers responsibility to give his daughters hand in marriage. Alternatively a modern day audience would have not seenShow MoreRelatedAnalytical Essay Othello1047 Words   |  5 PagesAll these themes are present in Othello. Most dominant, however, are manipulation and jealousy. Jealousy runs the characters’ lives in Othello from the beginning of the play, when Roderigo is jealous of Othello because he wishes to be with Desdemona, and to the end of the play, when Othello is furious with jealousy because he believes Cassio and Desdemona have been engaging in an affair, but manipulation the prominent action that fuels the jealousy within Othello. 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