In a infamous court hearing, a lawyer once asked “If you pay to go and watch unclothed people as art why should one deem it wrong to do the same with ‘pornography’, Isn’t that a form of art?” The lawyer silenced everyone with this question and went on to win the case for a photographer who earned himself a reputation of making normal pornography look like something out of an amateurs box. Artistry has come a long way. From Leonardo to Shakespeare there is certainly one thing that they all possess and that is their eloquent ‘genius’. What each of those geniuses chose to create is another story. William Shakespeare is known for his profound characters. One such character is Iago who is found in his tragic play, Othello.
The outworking of Iago ‘master plan’ leads to the deaths of his master Othello and his wife Desdemona as well a pawn named Roderigo. This ‘honest Iago’ even goes to the horrid extent to kill his own wife Emilia all through trickery, double-crossing and luck. Many claim that because Iago had been so successful he is not merely deceitful but also an artist. One may claim that Iago was amoral.
He either had no moral principles or chose not to live by it. Someone with the inability to ride above guilt wouldn’t be likely to be able to deceive everyone around him like he had. Iago kills his wife when she becomes a stumbling block to his plan, uses Roderigo to “line his coat”, tries to kill Cassio and attempts to destroy Othello. Even when faced with the deaths of three people he seems to show no remorse as he denies to give reason for his disobedience to Othello saying, ” I never will speak a word.” Iago is smart. He is an expert judge of people and their characters and uses this to his advantage.
The Dissertation on Iago Othello Edmund Shylock
Shakespeare's Antagonists and "Honest" Iago James L. Gillis IV Essay- Knaublauch During this most recent semester we, as a class, have waded through a sufficient sampling of works by the good bard. During this experience, a plethora of characters have successfully held the spotlight, evoked aspects of the nature of man, and twisted the extremes of human emotions into knots. By retreating to ponder ...
Roderigo makes an excellent example, as Iago knows he is in love with Desdemona. By playing on his hopes Iago uses Roderigo a ‘fool’ as his “purse” and continues to exploit him to forward his other goals. Iago is an opportunist who thinks quickly. When Cassio takes hold of Desdemona’s hands before the arrival of Othello he says, “with as little a web as this will I ensnare a great fly as Cassio.” Iago uses to opportunity in his plan to fool Othello into suspecting Cassio of sleeping with his wife. His cunning and craftiness make him a even more dangerous villain.
None can deny that Iago was deceitful. He would always tell the characters one of two things: exactly what they want to hear or the exact opposite in order to make it easier for them to succumb to his constraints. An example can be found where Iago indirectly instigated a fight between Cassio and Roderigo, but still feigned reluctance to accuse Cassio in order to earn his trust saying that ‘I should rather have this tongue cut from my mouth than it should do offence to Michael Cassio. Yet I persuade myself, to speak the truth.’ Cassio even believes him as even he refers to the cunning Iago as ‘honest’ after he advises Cassio to seek Desdemona’s help to earn back his reputation. Iago advised him knowing all too well how he was going to use the moment to plant the seed of doubt in Othello mind. The manner in which Iago manages to manipulate those around him may be described as brilliant.
If an artist creates a work of art, then Iago creates destruction. Is destruction really a work of art? The answer is yes. His skilful mastery over his victims’ lives can be compared to that of a devil who destroys the lives of his victim and that of a skilful artist who decides on the fates of his characters. But the bottom line is that destruction shouldn’t be applauded.
This work of art is ugly. Anything that costs the lives of people has nothing beautiful about it. Character of Iago is not ‘simply’ a man of deceitful action. He is an artist and amoral genius who unfortunately chose to use his talent for the destruction of those around him only to be himself consumed by it in the end. When Iago refused to speak at the end of the play its certainly not out of fear but because his masterpiece is finished. His creation is hideous for even “judgement cannot cure it.”.
The Essay on Tragic Hero Othello Iago Cassio
Othello Othello, a noble moor, general in the Venetian army. Othello is considered to be a Tragic Hero. What is a Tragic Hero To find the meaning of a tragic hero we must define what a tragic and hero mean. A tragic event is disastrous, dreadful or fateful. A tragic story or play has a serious theme usually results in death or defeat. In real life an example of a tragic event is unrequited love or ...
