Iago as the cunning villain of the play Othello

Iago is nonpareil of the most complex and interesting constituents in this draw. He is in the Venetian army and is General Othellos trusted aide. He is married to Emilia, who is Desdemonas (Othellos wife) care taker. Iago is headspring acquainted with Othello, Rodrigo Cassio and Desdemona, and so alone these puppets are infected by his satanic manipulations. Iago uses several linguistic and psychological techniques to achieve his ends. Now I shall demonstrate Shakespeares portrayal of Iago, his manipulating techniques, and how the earreachs respond to his portrayal.The time, in which this play is set in, the Venetian auberge is racist against coloured people. The role of women of Desdemonas status was non equal to that of the men. They were the properties of their fathers, to be sold into marriage, and interracial relationships were considered disrespect to the family. They were meant to be innocent virginal, saintly souls. umteen themes are introduced into the play Othel lo, which mostly compare the contrasts in life. There is shadow and Reality, Appearance and reality, Love jealousy and hatred.Iago has white skin colour, nevertheless has a dark shadowy and merciless burden, where as Othello has black skin, and has a magisterial and honorable heart, a white heart. Iago is pictured, as the symbolism of nuisance but is still only a benignant in reality. Iago is jealous of Cassio and and understands acknowledges it. Othello loves Desdemona, yet when poisoned by Iago he starts to become jealous and later on hates her, which is proved from his attempt to murder her. Iago is a very knavish scoundrel of the play.He does non attack the characters physically, but he seems to be skilful with a demon like power of ugly intelligence, which allows him to judge a persons character speedily, and hence allow him to, manipulate them into knock off a constantly narrower path, to their demise. He uses carefully thought up vulgar, brash and rowing, whi ch shock his listeners and the hearing to be enraptured into his thoughts. All this makes Iago possibly the most interesting character of the play, which one would think unlikely since Othello is the milling machinery, and Iago is the villain.Iago is represent by Shakespeare as a racist character, and since there is only one coloured man, his racism is hence focused with full force onto Othello. Also since he is cunning, and does not restore to physical violence to nullify Othello, he uses the fact that Othello is black to ease accomplish his goals, by using brash, disgusting, and crude language when discussing about the internal conquest of Brabantios white daughter by the black Othello.Brabantio was hence horror-stricken to hear from Iago that a barbary horse (Othello) was making the beast with two backs with Desdemona. Here Iago is dictum that Othello is having sex with Desdemona, but notice the language he uses to shock all the people around him, and since his master(p renominal) goal in the play is to ruin Othello, these words aid him, by inaugural disrespecting Othello, and reminding everyone he is a black man, and hence has the barbaric manners that were thought typical in the monastic order those days.The earshots response to this racist man would not have seemed different because in those days slavery and racism were very real and it was abnormal not to be racist, as a Moor would have been associated with brutality, ignorance evil, and sexual immortality. Iago hates Othello and is smell to seek his revenge, because Othello gave Cassio the job that he thinks he deserves. He uses racist words such as the moor and insults him behind his back by making turn of his thick lips. Shakespeare has as well made Iago admit I hate the Moor legion(predicate) a time throughout the play.Although Iago does not dare speak these unquiet descriptions near Othello, since it would not be a cunning card to play as it would make all the crystal plates delic ately spinning upon his fingers to flitter and crash to the floor. He uses insults such as old black ram when lecture to Brabantio against Othello to rouse him against Othello, and possibly have him hanged for making the beast with two backs with Desdemona. We force out see by this that Iago is using these racist words to make other characters hate Othello, which is very cunning, because it brings down his reputation as an honest and stately man.Also the audience would have probably shared these prejudiced thoughts by Iago, and hence approved of the villain, which is rare for Shakespeares range of stories, where he usually makes the hero approved by the audience. Iago is an expert judge of character, which gives him an advantage. One example where he utilizes this example is with Roderigo where he knows how madly in love he is for Desdemona, and acts as if he is cooperateing her in making Desdemona his, when he is actually cozen him into giving him money for a job he is not doing. cutely Iago says even says that thus do I ever make my sea gull my purse where Roderigo is the fool, and by manipulating this fool he is making money to add to his purse. Iago is portrayed by Shakespeare as an opportunist. One example would be when Cassio is asking for Desdemonas help for reuniting him with Othello, but then when Iago and Othello come, he walks off to avoid confrontation. Iago, knowing Othellos superior weakness to be Desdemona. He undermines Othellos faith in her by verbal expression Ha I like not that.This is extremely cunning and dastardly of Iago, to have used this opportunity of what seems like Cassio sneaking away later on having a romantic talk with Desdemona, to set down Othello, by making him incertitude his faith, in love. But what makes Othello trust Iago so much in the first place the audiences might wonder. It is because Iago is portrayed by Shakespeare as honest Iago and Iago repeatedly says these words in a humble manner, to act as propa ganda, so that people do think him as an honest and faithful man.though this is not square(a) at all, this is just another of Iagos cunning techniques in manipulating people, he manipulates their judgment of his character. Iago is the ultimate deceiver, during the play, excluding the end rarely does anyone question Iagos true motives. This is because through his cunning techniques, of putting up false, yet believable fronts, he does not allow them too. He uses Roderigo by deceiving him with lies of how Desdemona is close to being his, and fools him and keeps on mining money out of him.Though Roderigo later begins to question Iago. I think it is getting a bit scurvy and begin to nonplus himself stuck in it and he also says that Iago is beginning to get stuck in his confused web. Iago, realizing the danger, with his quick mind, and a immortal like intelligence he quickly tries to prove that he is faithful to Roderigo by promoting and agreeing to murder Cassio to aid Roderigo carry of getting Desdemona, since Cassio is his competitor for Desdemona. Roderigo agrees at once, and he himself becomes stuck in Iagos web. This example shows us how cunning Iago is, and what a good improviser he is, at such evil deeds. Iago uses characters weak points to destroy them.Othellos weak point is Desdemona, and his faith in her love, as he says my life upon her faith thereof Iago targets this. He undermines Othellos faith in her by feeding him lies, about her having sex with Cassio, and how he Cassio later dreams of those encounters. This throws Othello into such a jealous rage he goes crazy, and then when he encounters Desdemona, he does not believer her, because he is caught up in the imagery given by Iago of her in bed with Cassio. Iagos linguistic power is something of amazement, and this proves he is the most cunning and evil character of the play.Iago has no guilt, none at all. He destroys relationships, leads characters down paths with a terrible end, and even steals from his own friends. He is like a devil, and he has so many superficial motives, it is clear, he truly has none at all, and is just a sadistic demon, who finds pleasure in creating anarchy. Iagos main aim in the play is to destroy Othello and his relationships. Hence he has to destroy other people too, to achieve the final aim. One of the characters he exploits, other then Roderigo is the gullible Cassio.He knew that Cassio could not handle his drink well, and becomes aggressive when drunk. Hence he persuaded him into drinking, and making him get into a fight, which led him to be open fire from his position by Othello. Not only does Iago disgrace Cassio, he also tells Cassio to go to Desdemona to solve his problem, and that she will help because she has a good heart she holds it a vice in her goodness not to be more(prenominal) than than a requested Iago later turns the encounter into what seems as a secret topic between Desdemona and Cassio, which does not please Othello at a ll.In conclusion Iago is portrayed by Shakespeare as an extremely cunning, jealous, subtle, sadistic racist, motiveless and manipulative devil-like human being. Who jumps at the opportunity to use anything to help him reach his goals, which in to destroy Othello, his relationships, and the friends who surround him. Iago symbolizes evil in everyway, though not the typical evil of brute anarchical strength, but the tactful evil which is much more productive with its method, to psychologically destroy a person through preying on their weaknesses.The audiences response to this portrayal ranges from interest, awe, shame and disgust. Iago interests the audience with his plans and how he implements them, he awes the audience with the magic like power he has to manipulate characters to their own destructions, and Iago disgusts the audience by how he revels in his destructive plans, and the anarchy he implements.