Why did Iago want to destroy Othello?
In the original tale, Un Capitano Moro by Cinthio, Iago wants to destroy Othello (unnamed in the original, just called The Moor) because he loves Disdemona. He is determined that, as he can’t have her, no-one will. Shakespeare omits this in his reworked version.
How does Iago plan to exact revenge on Othello?
With this knowledge Iago devises a plan to break Desdemona and Othello up and make Othello dislike Cassio. By plotting Othello against everyone, he will be able to get his revenge for Othello not making him a lieutenant.
What does Iago accuse Othello of doing?
The principal method that Iago uses to convince Othello of Desdemona's infidelity is by using one of Othello's most treasured possessions and telling Othello that his wife, Desdemona has given it away to her lover, Cassio.
Is Othello more evil than Iago?
Ultimately, actions speak louder than words. Iago is evil in his actions towards Othello, but between the two, Othello is the most evil for reacting to lies in the most violent of ways. The evil in Iago becomes visible from the very beginning of the play.
What happens to Iago after Othello kills himself?
Iago, reacting to his wife's accusations, stabs and kills her. Iago is arrested and sent to trial after Othello wounds him (he doesn't even die). Othello, facing the inevitability of his own trial, uses a hidden weapon to commit suicide. The play ends with Cassio reinstated and placed in command as Governor of Cyprus.
How Iago was killed in Othello?
Othello stabs Iago, wounding him, and Lodovico orders some soldiers to disarm Othello. Iago sneers that he bleeds but is not killed. He refuses to say anything more about what he has done, but Lodovico produces a letter found in Roderigo's pocket that reveals everything that has happened.
Who died at the end of Othello?
Specifically, we learned that by the end of Othello, there are four dead bodies: Desdemona, Emilia, Roderigo, and Othello himself. Iago murdered two of these people with his own hand, but his influence is at the bottom of them all.Dec 7, 2021
Did Iago get killed?
Notably, Iago is left wounded but alive at the end of the play. Cassio is charged with determining Iago's punishment, and urges “the time, the place, the torture, oh, enforce it” (5.2.). The ending symbolizes the culmination of the violent forces put in motion by Iago at the start of the play.
Why does Iago remain silent at the end?
Iago's final lines imply that speech, in his view, has become futile. Everything that happened was driven by speech, so he appears to feel that, now he has been unmasked, there is nothing more worth saying. The significance of speech is introduced at the very beginning of Othello.Nov 29, 2017
Who kills Emilia?
IagoIago says that Desdemona was indeed unfaithful with Cassio, but Emilia knows this is untrue. She tells how she found the handkerchief, which her husband had asked her to steal, and gave it to him. Iago stabs Emilia and runs out.
What is the significance of Othello's suicide at the end of Shakespeare's Othello and does it achieve anything?
Othello 's suicide signifies his acceptance of his crime of murdering Desdemona and his understanding that, although Iago manipulated him into his actions, he is ultimately the one responsible for them. It also signifies his sense of honor: a man like Othello could not go on living after what he...
How is Othello presented at the end of the play?
The rapid development of the actions in Shakespeare's play reveals Othello's gradual fall from grace as a result of his growing jealousy. At the end of the play, Othello's realizes that his naivety and lack of confidences in his wife' innocence and fidelity.Nov 12, 2021
What happens to Iago at the end of Othello?
After Othello commits suicide and falls on the bed beside his dead wife, Desdemona, ...
Why is Iago so evil?
Iago is deemed by many as one of the most villainous character in Shakespearean plays. His motives for his actions were unclear, although it may have stemmed from his anger at Othello for passing him over as lieutenant or his suspicion that his wife may have committed adultery with Othello. Despite these, however, his seething hate for Othello somewhat remains unexplained and the absence of a motivating factor in his actions makes his character even more evil.
What act does Iago begin to unravel?
The evil plans of Iago began to unravel in Act 5.
Did Iago kill Cassio?
Cassio was able to kill Roderigo, which is opposite of what Iago had planned and Iago himself failed to kill Cassio. Although Othello killed his wife Desdemona, Iago's wife Emilia was able to reveal much of her husband's evil plot before Iago was able to stab her.
How did Othello die?
Answer and Explanation: Othello dies by his own hand. He lies next to the deceased Desdemona and stabs himself. Having kissed Desdemona before he killed her, Othello states
Why did Othello kill himself?
Othello was overcome with emotions and ended up killing himself due to guilt. Othello believed that his wife, Desdemona, was cheating on him with Cassio.
Who confesses his part to Othello?
Othello is not convinced of his folly until Iago confesses his part, and Cassio speaks of the use of the handkerchief; then, Othello is overcome with grief. Othello stabs Iago when he is brought back in; Othello then tells all present to remember him how he is, and kills himself.
How many dead bodies are there in Othello?
Lesson Summary Specifically, we learned that by the end of Othello, there are four dead bodies: Desdemona, Emilia, Roderigo, and Othello himself. Iago murdered two of these people with his own hand, but his influence is at the bottom of them all.
Why did Iago murder Emilia?
Iago’s murder of Emilia could also stem from the general hatred of women that he displays. Some readers have suggested that Iago’s true, underlying motive for persecuting Othello is his homosexual love for the general. He certainly seems to take great pleasure in preventing Othello from enjoying marital happiness, and he expresses his love for Othello frequently and effusively.
What is Iago's characteristic?
Possibly the most heinous villain in Shakespeare, Iago is fascinating for his most terrible characteristic: his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions. In the first scene, he claims to be angry at Othello for having passed him over for the position of lieutenant (I.i. 7–32 ).
What is Iago's talent?
It is Iago’s talent for understanding and manipulating the desires of those around him that makes him both a powerful and a compelling figure. Iago is able to take the handkerchief from Emilia and know that he can deflect her questions; he is able to tell Othello of the handkerchief and know that Othello will not doubt him; he is able to tell the audience, “And what’s he then that says I play the villain,” and know that it will laugh as though he were a clown (II.iii. 310 ). Though the most inveterate liar, Iago inspires all of the play’s characters the trait that is most lethal to Othello: trust.
Who is Iago willing to take revenge on?
He is willing to take revenge on anyone—Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Roderigo, even Emilia—at the slightest provocation and enjoys the pain and damage he causes. Iago is often funny, especially in his scenes with the foolish Roderigo, which serve as a showcase of Iago’s manipulative -abilities.
Why doesn't Iago explain himself?
Continue Reading. Iago doesn't explain himself because Shakespeare had no explanation for Iago’s behaviour.
What makes Iago a great character?
One of the things that makes Iago a great character is that he is so open to interpretation. His soliloquies are inconsistent about his motivation , which makes him arguably unique among Shakespeare’s characters. Soliloquies are usually treated as truths: speaking to the audience, you have no reason to lie. If Iago is lying even to the audience, what could the truth be? What does it even mean? Is he lying to himself? Or is he truly so beyond redemption that he is trying to manipulate the audience, from the other side of the fourth wall?
What is the play Othello about?
The play isn't really about race at all. It's about jealousy, manipulation, and trust. You could literally edit out the racial aspects entirely. The play would lose an element, but only an element, not its heart. The real story is about men and women, not blacks and whites. Othello even has a moment of tragic redemption at the end, while the white Iago is presented as utterly irredeemable, fit only for torture and death.
Did Iago hurt Othello?
Oh, no, Iago was pretty obviously trying to hurt Othello. It was in no way a joke. In one of the early scenes he runs off to tell Desdemona’s father that Othello is running off with Desdemona (and he’s out-and-out racist about it, viz. “an old black ram ram/is tupping your white ewe!”
Is Othello a good general?
Othello himself is not always an admirable figure. He is a great general but he's also a jealous husband. Jealous husbands are common in Shakespeare. We don't think of Merry Wives of Windsor as despising white people because Ford is jealous of his wife. It's a character flaw in both, and it's a personal flaw, not a racial flaw. You'd need to start with a racist reading to say, "Othello does a bad thing, therefore all black people are bad." It's absurd.
Is Iago a villain?
Iago might be the "purest" Shakespeare villain in the sense that he isn't motivated by anything in particular. Lady Macbeth wants power, Claudius wants the throne, but Iago is the embodiment of pointless, purposeless malice. He's Shakespeare's Joker; he just wants to see the world burn. I am suspicious of any of the motivations he offers for his malevolence. He's just a bad dude. He does what he does because he can.
Is Iago alive in Othello?
Iago is alive at the end of Othello, but one gets the impression that it won't be for long, as he is handed over to the civil authorities to be punished for his crimes.
How does Iago end the play?
The play ends in a spectacle of tragic violence: Emilia intercepts Othello after he’s murdered Desdemona and reveals Iago’s treachery. Her revelation is corroborated by information from Cassio and a letter found in Roderigo’s pocket. In a vain attempt to prevent his scheme from being revealed, Iago stabs and kills Emilia, and is then taken prisoner while Othello, lamenting the loss of his wife, kills himself next to her. Notably, Iago is left wounded but alive at the end of the play. Cassio is charged with determining Iago’s punishment, and urges “the time, the place, the torture, oh, enforce it” (5.2.).
Why does Othello see himself as an outcast?
The comparison might suggest that Othello, as a result of his crimes, now sees himself as an outcast who deserves to die in the same way, or it might imply that by voluntarily punishing himself for his crimes, he acts in a way that is consistent with his previous military valor. Either way, Othello asserts an autonomy and control over his destiny that contrasts sharply with the way he has been manipulated throughout most of the play.
What does Cassio's ending mean in the play?
The ending symbolizes the culmination of the violent forces put in motion by Iago at the start of the play.
What is Othello's final speech?
In his final speech, he explains how he hopes to be remembered, saying “When you shall these unlucky deed relate / Speak of me as I am” (5.2.).
Who killed Emilia in the movie?
In a vain attempt to prevent his scheme from being revealed, Iago stabs and kills Emilia, and is then taken prisoner while Othello, lamenting the loss of his wife, kills himself next to her.
Who does Othello stab?
Othello is not convinced of his folly until Iago confesses his part, and Cassio speaks of the use of the handkerchief; then, Othello is overcome with grief. Othello stabs Iago when he is brought back in; Othello then tells all present to remember him how he is, and kills himself.
What happens after Othello learns the truth?
We also know that after Othello learns the truth (that he killed the ever-faithful Desdemona for no good reason), he decides to end his own life. The play ends with a depressed Ludovico saying that he hopes that Cassio will punish Iago, and that he'll relate the whole story of the seedy Othello affair to the state. Click to see full answer.
Does Iago die in Othello?
Answer and Explanation: No, Iago does not die in Othello, making him one of the few Shakespearean villains to escape the play with his life. However, given how everyone knows what Iago did, it is unlikely he will live for long. In Act V, Iago is arrested after he convinces Othello to murder Desdemona.
Why does Iago not die?
If this is the case, Iago would be forced to live with the guilt and shame of his horrific crimes even though he is portrayed as a heartless, callous man. At the end of the play, Iago refuses to speak about his scheme, but Gratiano says that he will be tortured. Although Iago is not killed, the audience experiences some satisfaction knowing that he will be tortured for his evil deeds.
What does Shakespeare depict in the play Iago?
Throughout the play, Shakespeare depicts European society as flawed and chaotic, which enables master puppeteers like Iago to manipulate high-ranking citizens like Othello and Michael Cassio and corrupt respected institutions like the Venetian military administration. The fact that Iago deserves to die may reflect Shakespeare's underlying message that justice is...
What is Iago's ensign?
You may often hear or see Iago being referred to as Othello's "ensign." An ensign is sometimes also referred to as a "standard-bearer." In either case, Iago serves as a military officer, "a man of...of loyalty and trust" to Othello's face, but he turns out to be a villain and an "inhuman dog" who is egotistical and evil.
Who directs Cassio in the play?
Iago may not die onstage, but his doom is certain. In the play's final lines (5.2.377-381), Lodovico directs Cassio, in his first assignment as the lord governor:
Who did Iago kill in Othello?
Several characters die throughout Othello. Iago kills his friend Roderigo and then he kills his wife Emilia for speaking out about what he has done. In the final scene, Othello murders his wife Desdemona by smothering her, and then he goes on to kill himself. Download PDF. Print.
Why does Iago destroy Othello?
There is a scholarly theory that Iago destroys Othello because, paradoxically , he is in love with him. He covets Desdemona's handkerchief, given to her by Othello as a symbol of love, because he perhaps desires to be approved of and loved by his general to the same extent that Desdemona is.
Why does Iago kill Emilia?
If we believe this interpretation, then, Iago loses everything and everyone he loves because of his plotting. He kills his wife, Emilia, because of what she knows; he drives Othello to kill himself and his wife. Whether Iago's true desire is for Othello or Desdemona, he loses both, and he also loses his own freedom.
What happens at the end of the play when Othello smothers his wife?
By the end of the play, when Othello smothers his wife—"Put out the light, and then put out the light" —almost every person with any attachment or meaning to Iago has been damaged irrevocably by his schemes. His erstwhile friend and conspirator, Roderigo, is dead, slain by Iago's own hand.
Who does Othello kill?
In the final scene, Othello (thinking she has cuckolded him with Cassio) murders Desdemona; and, in another husband-murders-wife parallel, when she speaks out about what he has done, Iago murders Emilia. Othello then kills himself. Iago is taken off to be tortured but - as the curtain falls - is still not killed.
Who killed Roderigo in Othello?
In the scene in the dark, Cassio is wounded in the leg, and Roderigo is killed by Iago in the dark.
Why does Desdemona know Othello is about to kill her?
Desdemona, like the audience, knows that Othello is about to kill her, not because of anything she has done, but because of a misguided belief in her guilt. Desdemona is only one of the victims of Iago's plot to deceive and control his general. By the end of the play, when Othello smothers his wife—"Put out the light, ...
