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  • Essay / Things are never as they seem: manipulation in Othello

    Manipulation, combined with good intentions, can lead to a favorable outcome; but when used immorally, it is the beginning of a tragic end. Such tragedy strikes in the play “Othello” written by a certain William Shakespeare. The passage from Act II45-71 is a short dialogue between Roderigo and Iago, the great playwright Shakespeare develops, establishes and depicts Iago's disturbed character in just a few lines. A manipulative, deceitful character with malicious intentions. Iago is the puppeteer who, behind the scenes, formulates and prepares his master plan, manipulating the social behavior of others at every turn. Thus, Iago's foul characteristics of being deceitful, hypocritical, and pervictive lead to the eventual demise and tragic end of some characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay To begin with, in the last two lines of the selected section, the author introduces the character of Iago perfectly. Iago's pride, deception, and blatant disrespect are modeled in these two lines alone. How he belittles poor Roderigo without him even realizing it. In this scene, Iago says, “But I will wear my heart on my sleeve, so the birds can peck at it.” I am not what I am. » (Act II 70-71). These two lines are full of irony, allusions, bibliomancy and foreshadowing. In this quote, Iago openly admits to hiding his true emotions. If he did so, it would make him vulnerable and the "jackdaws" [i.e. jackdaws, known as a commonly insane bird, in turn representing insane humans] could take advantage and learn his true motives. In Roderigo's naivety, he does not realize that the "daws" referred to are actually him. Iago openly reveals that he is not a good person and the irony of this whole situation is that Roderigo is so unaware of Iago's real intentions that if he can deceive Othello in this way, there is nothing stopping him from doing it to him. likewise. In the last line of the section, Iago says "I am not what I am" (Act II 71), this line can arguably be considered one of the most important lines in the entire play. Iago admits to being a hypocrite, as he claims to be a loyal friend and servant of Othello; when in reality he only serves himself. It is ironic that Iago uses “heaven” to be his judge while in the same sentences he mocks the word of God. Iago is blatantly disrespectful and references the Bible in a blasphemous manner. In the quote mentioned, he directly contradicts God's words: "I am that I am" (Exodus 3:14). Shakespeare's desire to portray Iago as the devil can be clearly seen when he rebukes the Bible and literally says the exact opposite of what God says. Similar to the devil, Iago's intentions are always evil and irony prevails as both are far from heaven. Again, if Roderigo were not such a fool, he would realize that if Iago can be so blatantly blasphemous towards the Bible, such an act should have been a clear indication that this is not to be trusted. man. Additionally, the quote mentioned above foreshadows Iago's betrayal throughout the play. In these two lines, the great William Shakespeare does wonders in developing Iago's character and setting the stage for his actions to come. Additionally, Iago's intentions and why he is plotting this in the first place are also seen in this section..