Othello 7
In the Elizabethan times, there was a common belief that all beings belonged to a structure called the "Great Chain of Beings". At the top of the chain was God, who was the absolute symbol of perfection, followed by angels which had reason, human beings, and then animals, that were full of passion. It was believed that the human being was a mixture of both the angel and the animal, thus there was conflict between these two halves of a human being. The angel was representative of all that was right and virtuous and in contrast, the animal was representative of all that was wrong and self-serving. When Iago made the comment that, "Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light," (I, i, 394-395) his calling upon the forces of darkness to achieve his goal illustrates the imbalance in the conflict that rages in his soul. Iago is an individual who's perspective of the world is dominated by his animal nature. Due to his own lack of virtue, Iago does not believe that any virtue exists at all. In his actions, he seeks to bring all around him to the same level of existence. The motive for the evil he commits is none other than to commit evil. Thus beyond all of the reason and thought that he cloaks himself in, Iago is r
Iago is a character who believes that there is no such thing as virtue in any individual that he meets. His animalistic perspective of individuals lets him believe that everyone around him has the same self-serving attitude towards life as his own. eally a character that is truly dark at his core. The inability of Iago to justify the actions that he takes illustrates the dominance of the animal in his character. In the playwright, Iago is never quite capable of explaining any sort of motive behind the actions he takes to create chaos. "I hate the Moor, And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets H'as done my office. I know not if't be true, But I, for mere suspicion of that kind, Will do, as if for surety." (I, iii, 380-383) Iago is incapable of giving any sort of reason for creating evil. He attempts to justify his actions against Othello by saying that Othello has slept with his wife, but even he believes that it did not happen. Later on, to justify why he choose Cassio as the character to take the fall, Iago also claims that Cassio slept with his wife. His explanations for the motive behind the evil he creates are extremely weak and even he himself does not believe them. This is evidence of the animal that exists within him. Only humans and angels possess the ability to reason according to the "Great Chain of Beings". Angels are pure reason, but a human being has reason, but is also susceptible to the passion of animals. Thus Iago's inability to give any sort of reason for his actions illustrates in his soul he is animal. "When the blood is made dull with the act of sport,
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Approximate Word count = 1077
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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