Topic > Things Are Never As They Appear: Manipulation in Othello

Manipulation, combined with good intentions, can lead to a favorable outcome; but if used immorally, it is the beginning of a tragic end. Such a tragedy strikes in the comedy "Othello" written by a certain William Shakespeare. The passage of acts Ii45-71 is a short dialogue between Roderigo and Iago, the great playwright Shakespeare develops, establishes and portrays the deranged character of Iago in just a few lines. A manipulative, lying character with malicious intentions. Iago is the behind-the-scenes puppeteer who formulates and plots his master plan, manipulating the social behavior of others at all times. Therefore Iago's disgusting characteristics of being deceitful, hypocritical and stubborn lead to the final death and tragic end of some characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin with, in the last two lines of the selected section the author shows Iago's character perfectly. Iago's pride, deceit, and blatant disrespect are modeled in just these two lines. While he belittles poor Roderigo without him realizing it. In this scene Iago states: “But I will wear my heart on my sleeve, that the daws may peck. 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 that he hides his true emotions. If he did, it would make him vulnerable and the “jackdaws” [i.e. jackdaws, known as commonly silly birds, which in turn represent silly humans] would be able to take advantage of this and learn his true motives. In Roderigo's naivety he does not realize that the "daws" referred to is 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, then there is nothing to stop him from doing the same with him. .In the last line of the section Iago says "I am not what I am" (Act Ii 71) this phrase can undoubtedly be considered one of the most important lines in the entire play. Iago admits that he is a hypocrite, as he pretends to be Othello's loyal friend and servant; while in reality he only serves himself. It is ironic that Iago uses “heaven” as his judge while in the same two sentences he mocks the word of God. Iago is blatantly disrespectful and references the Bible in a blasphemous manner. In the mentioned quote 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 as he berates 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 paradise. Again, if Roderigo were not such an imbecile, he would realize that if Iago can be so outwardly shameless and blasphemous towards the Bible, such an act should have been a clear indication that this man is not to be trusted . Furthermore, the above mentioned quote foreshadows Iago's betrayal throughout the play. In these two lines the great William Shakespeare works wonders for the development of Iago's character and sets the stage for his next actions. Furthermore, in this section we also see Iago's intentions and why he plots it in the first place. With the use of a simile Iago makes his intention clear and states: “He consumes his time, like his master's ass” (Act Ii 50). Iago uses a simile comparing servants to donkeys to show the.