The Most Gifted Othello By William Shakespeare - 770 Words

Ben Tilden Ms. Baxter Pre-IB English 31 March 2015 The Most Gifted Villain in Literature The tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare takes place in Venice and Cyprus approximately in 1603. Othello, the valiant Moor of Venice and the play’s protagonist, is a noble gifted leader looked up to by the people of Venice. His â€Å"free and open nature† (1.3.390) allows Iago, the play’s antagonist, to be able to identify Othello’s tragic flaw: credulity. Iago’s consuming desire for power fuels his meticulous plot to hurt and manipulate Othello. Through the use of jealousy and misleading appearance, Shakespeare creates the most gifted villain in literature. Iago gives a multitude of reasons for his poor treatment of Othello, however his jealousy originates from when Michael Cassio was promoted as Lieutenant over him. This sparked Iago’s hatred and disloyalty towards Othello. However, in the play Iago explains his reasoning, â€Å"But for my sport and profit. I hate the Moor†¦ do as if for surety.† (1.3.12) In the first scen e Iago explains his motive of destroying Othello because of being overlooked for getting promoted, however now he tells us that his hatred was born from the rumors that Othello has been hooking up with Emilia, Iago’s wife. Clearly Iago’s intensions are to take revenge on anyone for the smallest provocations, as Iago appreciates the damage he causes. His desire and need for power is key in the engineering of the downfall of the eponymous character. In an attempt toShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s A Good And Lasting Legacy822 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare William Shakespeare left a good, lasting legacy that we see almost every day and we don t even know it s there. A legacy is something that you leave behind weather good or bad, Shakespeare s left a legacy of books and being thought as one of the greatest writers in the world. 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