Theme Of Manipulation In Othello - 1210 Words

The play, Othello, written by William Shakespeare is full of betrayal, death, and manipulation. It is a tragic play which follows the theme Shakespeare carries throughout most of his plays. Othello is a play about love and death and everything in between. Eric Iliff summarizes, â€Å"Othello is essentially a play about human nature and its ability to turn against itself, and a man whose inability to obtain self-awareness drives him towards an evil act that destroys not only his earthly salvation, but his eternal salvation as well† (Iliff, 3). The characters of Othello bring about manipulation, evil, jealously and rage. This is shown throughout the play, mainly via Iago. The characters within the play, including Othello, Iago, and Desdemona†¦show more content†¦Othello is manipulated into believing that Desdemona is cheating on him, with little physical evidence to back the claim. He only relies on the words of Iago and the actions of Iago to build his opinion on the s ituation and come to the decision that Desdemona was an adulteress. Though, Othello is considered a weak character he is crucial in the development of the other characters and of the play itself. Iago is cunning, cruel and manipulative. He is considerably the strongest character within the play, with his ability to manipulate and control those around him. He is considered the antagonist character of the play, Othello. Iago’s manipulation could stem from the hatred of the characters of the story, mainly the women of the story. He believes women are inferior to men and that they should be considered almost slaves to the household. Hatred toward women could be derived from the suspicion that his own wife, Emilia, cheated on him. He uses his own agenda for the downfall of the other characters without remorse for his actions. Iago uses his intellect to control the scene and situation for how he sees fit. Jennifer Putnam explains, â€Å"He is clever in his diction to avoid confrontation that can easily erupt† (Putnam, 2). Iago’s expertise is saying the right thing to the right people for them to believe exactly what he wants them to believe. This isShow MoreRe latedTheme Of Manipulation In Othello826 Words   |  4 PagesIn Shakespeares play, Othello, jealousy and manipulation is a common recurring theme. This is apparent with the characters that resonate jealousy and/or manipulation. Bianca, a Cyprian courtesan is one example of these characters. With a total of fifteen lines, Bianca is indeed a minor part of the plot, however, her role in the play holds a certain significance that makes her one of the most impactful characters in the play. Bianca is introduced in the play with an encounter with Cassio, the manRead MoreTheme Of Manipulation In Othello939 Words   |  4 PagesIn the play Othello by William Shakespeare, revenge and manipulation plays a major role. The manipulator is Iago and the fool is Roderigo. Throughout the play Iago takes advantage of many people but Roderigo is the most used. This essay will describe explain manipulation, persuasion, and deception between alliances. Read MoreTheme Of Manipulation In Othello713 Words   |  3 PagesManipulation is the controlling by artful, unfair, or insidious means especially to ones own advantage. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago uses manipulation to procure what he wants. The story of Othello is about a man named Othello, who married a the virtuous Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona are madly in love and have already overcame many obstacles to be together, much to the dismay of Roderigo. A man who longed for Desdemona, and consistently chased after her. 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By trusting Iago, Othello s confidence is broken because he realizes he coul d no longer distinguish reality from lies. At the beginning of the play the protagonist, Othello, is introduceRead MoreAnalytical Essay Othello1047 Words   |  5 Pagesrecurring themes throughout his works, particularly those of love, death, and betrayal. All 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 prominentRead MoreTheme Of Jealousy In Othello962 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeare often has common themes throughout all of his poems which include love, death, and betrayal. When talking about Othello, all of these major themes are presented. Although, the major theme is jealousy. Throughout the play, jealousy is shown in each character in some way and dri ves the decisions that they make. The beginning starts with Rodrigo being covetous of Othello for being with Desdemona, and at the end where Othello is envious because he believes Desdemona is having an affair withRead More Racism in William Shakespeares Othello Essay1059 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeares Othello The play, Othello, is certainly, in part, the tragedy of racism. Examples of racism are common throughout the dialog. This racism is directed toward Othello, a brave soldier from Africa and currently supreme commander of the Venetian army. Nearly every character uses a racial slur to insult Othello at one point in the play. Even Emilia sinks to the level of insulting Othello based on the color of his skin. The character that most commonly makes racist remarks in Othello is IagoRead MoreIts Complicated: Shakespeares Othello1450 Words   |  6 Pagestheir fault. In the Shakespearean play Othello, Iago is seen as a ruthless, power hungry man who wants to see Othello burn. Othello on the other hand appears to be a wise general who only has one weakness in particular: Desdemona. He is flat out head over heels for her which Iago uses to his advantage through the green eyed monster itself: jealousy. Jealousy is one of the main themes within the play, and plays a very important role in the tragic outcome where Othello kills Desdemona and everything unravelsRead MoreManipulation andf the Dramatic Irony of Othello by Shakespeare655 Words   |  3 PagesThe play Othello was written in the 1600’s; there were many themes to pull out while reading it. One that stood out to me the most was manipulation. There are many tactics available to get what you want and make people your puppets. Playing with their emotions and mind, by being charming, and putting on an act pretending to be interested in what’s best for them. In Othello by Shakespeare, we see how easy it is to skillfully influence gullible people using similes and dramatic irony. This play started