Iago's Plague
Evil is like a cancerous plague, that does harm upon those who come across it. In the tragic play "Othello" by William Shakespeare, Iago is a character that is malignant. His evil is exposed through his choice of words, his ability to manipulate people, and his opportunistic ways. First of all, Iago's evil is shown through his choice of words which demonstrate his vulgarity and his sinister intentions. Iago's language is extremely base and forward; he does show any remorse or sympathy in any situation. For example, Desdemona has recently married Othello; when Desdemona's father, Brabantio, hears the news he becomes enraged. To make the situation much worse, Iago says to Brabantio, "An old black ram is tupping your white ewe." (Act 1,sc.i, lines 89-90). Clearly, Iago shows absolutely no remorse. He describes the beauty of love between two human beings and compares it to two animals. He gives Brabantio the impression that Othello is devouring Desdemona; this is seen when Iago describes Othello as an old black ram and Desdemona as a white ewe, black being evil and white being of purity and innocence. Another example of Iago's vulgarity is when he once again describes (to Brabantio), the relationship between Desdemona and O
thello as, "Making the beast with two backs." (Act 1, sc.i, line 117). His base language is shown once again. In this quote he describes making love, as a beast with two backs; this is a description that is poisonous to the human mind. He is cruel by telling Brabantio that his daughter is making a beast with Othello in bed; when he speaks of it, it is like his heart is made of stone. His vulgarity expresses his evil nature. Iago is so great that Iago is able to craft ideas in his head while not implicating himself; making Iago a clever villain. Iago also takes advantage of the trust that Cassio bears to him. Cassio's trust is shown when he says, Finally, Iago's evil is shown when takes the opportunity to abuse people's trust and is quick to think when something unexpected occurs. Trust is a very powerful emotion that can be easily abused. Othello's trust in Iago is shown when Othello say's, "I know thou'rt full of love and honesty." (Act 3, sc. iii, line 115). Keeping this in mind, Iago, takes advantage and poison's Othello's mind with the idea that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. An example of Iago abusing Othello's trust is when Iago says, "Work on,/My medicine, work! Thus credulous fools are caught," (Act 4, sc.i, lines 44-45). In this quote, Othello has fallen into a seizure and ironically Iago refers to his poison as medicine; where instead of curing Othello, it is plaguing his mind, soul and body. Iago also says that Othello is a "fool" because he has Othello's trust and is taking full advantage of it. Othello's trust in Furthermore, Iago's evil is demonstrated by his ability to manipulate people and situations through his words and through his actions. The first victim to fall under Iago's manipulative spell is the half witted Roderigo. his ability to see opportunity put those tools into use, and when he had no more use for them, they were disposed of. Thus, Iago's evil is demonstrated when he takes advantage of people's trust and when he is quick to think Roderigo poorly attempts to kill Cassio and is injured, Iago then kills Roderigo so he could save himself from getting caught. Roderigo says, "O damned Iago! O inhuman dog!" ( Act 5,sc. i, line 62). In his dying words,
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Approximate Word count = 1687
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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