Othello #5 Analysis

            Shakespeare’s Othello is a symbolic representation of how villainous a character can be. The villainous nature in Iago disruptively changes the Othello’s character throughout the text. Iago’s manipulative scheme against Othello is created from the strongest characteristics of each character: he uses the apparent qualities in each character against them. Iago manages to manipulate Othello’s character from an orderly leader to a crazed and distraught citizen.

            Iago villainous nature serves as a leech against Othello: slowly and surely, Iago manages to ambush Othello’s will and use it against him. Iago’s perceptible plan is born from his pure evilness and he evidently leads Othello to think the worse where he states “What / If I had said I had seen him [Cassio] do you wrong?” (IV, i, 23-24). These questions empower Othello to critically think about the affiliation between Desdemona and Cassio and how Iago is manipulating Othello to think the possible worst. Iago’s villainous nature is demonstrated as a fatal virus that ultimately degrades Othello into a point of “epilepsy” (IV, i, 50). By stating that “My medicine works” (IV, i, 45), Iago’s ironic statement symbolizes how his manipulative scheme affects Othello to a point of an uncontrollable fit. The audience recognizes Othello’s drastic change from an orderly general to a crazed, fanatical citizen from when he remarks “You are welcome, sir, to Cyprus—Goats and monkeys!” (IV, i, 257). The ridiculousness in this statement shows how Othello has been heavily inflicted by Iago’s poisonous plot.