Iagos charachter in Shakespeares Othello Essay - 496 Words

Essay on Iago The world is full of bad people who get pleasure from hurting others physically and emotionally. They feel the need to use and belittle other people because of their insecurities. In Shakespeare’s Othello, the villain, Iago, is a perfect example. He manifests his goal right from the beginning. Iago is an angry person with no conscience that constantly feels the need to take down everyone around him to get what he wants, revenge. Throughout Act 1, we realize that Iago wants revenge, to be powerful and recognized by society, and loves to manipulate others. Iago wants to get back at Othello for choosing Cassio as his lieutenant. He is irritated by the fact that Othello did not trust him enough to name him lieutenant. Iago†¦show more content†¦Iago is a very jealous, envious and selfish person who aggravates other people’s lives. Iago is jealous of Cassio because he is the one that was promoted to lieutenant. He believes he is a better soldier than Cassio who is, â€Å"Forsooth, a great arithmetician† (Act 1 sc.1, 20). From Iago’s point of view, Cassio shouldn’t even be in the army. He is just making excuses to give him more reasons to get back at Othello. Iago is envious of Othello because he is married to a beautiful woman, Desdemona. Also, Iago believes Othello slept with his wife, which makes him even more envious. â€Å"For that I do suspect the Moor hath leaped into my seat† (Act 2 sc.1, 317-318). Iago is very selfish because he doesn’t care about the consequences of his actions. He just wants to get what he wants and he will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Iago’s persona is seen very differently depending how far your are in the book. The way Iago first talks about how Othello did not choose him as his lieutenant, and the rumor about Othello sleeping with his wife makes the audience feels sympathy for him. â€Å"I know my price, I am worth no worse a place† (Act1 sc.1, 12). However, as we go on in the book, we realize how big of a villain Iago really is. He plans to take over Othello while taking advantage of Roderigo. In conclusion, we realize that Iago’s true