“An evil person can be thought of as someone who condones evil or morally wrong activities that cause ruin, injury, misfortune, or destruction,” writes Brandon Johnson. in the play “Othello” by William Shakespeare the character of Iago can be considered evil and immoral. Iago is a two-faced cynic who only wants revenge and does not care who he uses or how he uses it. “Iago embodies evil through his own words,” writes Tiffany Solomon in the article “Iago's Evil Deeds.” Even though Iago is supposed to be Othello's first ensign, he announces, "I follow him to serve him my turn," and goes even further against his trusted officer by saying, "Following him, I follow only myself." This quote shows that Iago is evil because even though he is supposed to protect and serve his superior officer, Othello, he does not aim to actually help him, but instead works under Othello to hurt him.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned'? Get an original essayAlso on line 323 Iago says “I hate the Moor, and abroad it is thought that 'between my sheets' has done my office. I don't know if it's true, but for a simple suspicion of this kind, I will act as if I were sure." Iago says he doesn't know exactly if the rumors are true, but he has decided to go ahead and ruin Othello's life anyway. Iago has shown through his own words that he intends to use evil and deceit to exploit Othello's character. He uses all possible means to devise his plan. “Iago's form of predation is singularly psychopathic in his choice of victim. His victims are his peers, his reasons are multiple and contradictory” explains Gemma Miller in the text “Iago and Psychopathy: A Textual and Performance Analysis”. Iago throughout the play makes Roderigo look like an idiot. Roderigo is blindly in love with Desdemona and is willing to do anything to convince her to love him back. Iago uses people's weaknesses to his advantage and uses Roderigo to hurt Othello. Iago has no conscience, he continues to deceive Roderigo and while he uses him to get to Othello he also uses him for money. So Iago takes for himself the gifts intended for Desdemona by Rodrigo. “Lago is above all an intriguer. His passion is to control others and determine the course of events by working secretly to bend reality to his will." This is what Richard Raatzsch states in “The Apologetics of Evil: The Case of Iago”. Cassio like Roderigo trust Iago completely, they both think that Iago is trying to help them. Unfortunately for Cassio he was a victim of Iago's games and ended up and Cassio followed Iago's advice which led to Cassio getting trapped, where he was injured. Brandon Johnson writes in his article “Analysis of the Character of Iago in Shakespeare's “Othello” that “Iago sees people for their true nature, recognizing their flaws and weaknesses, and uses them as objects in his chess game, destroying them each to finally destroy the king. himself”. Iago has the talent of understanding and manipulating the desires of the people around him, making him a powerful and evil person. Iago managed to deceive the main characters of the play "Othello". He convinced Emilia to take the handkerchief and then stand behind Othello's ear and put ideas in his head, Iago knowing that Othello would not doubt him. Iago has a manipulative personality, he managed to convince Cassio to continue drinking and also convinces Roderigo to give him money. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay This manipulative trait is what brainwashed Othello,.
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