Tag Archives: Iago

The Role of Women in Othello

After the murder of Desdemona in Shakespeare’s Othello, Emily enters and realizes her husband’s role in the death. “My husband says it’s false?” (5.2 159). “He lies to the heart.” (5.2 163). Finally, the truth comes out. Why is all this so tragic that the massacre could have been avoided if Aemilia and Desdemona had […]

Othello: The Handkerchief as Unreliable Evidence

Shakespeare’s Othello is a drama that relies entirely too much on circumstantial evidence. The handkerchief is used as the one and only piece of major evidence to prove the infidelity of Othello’s wife, Desdemona. The reliance on the handkerchief is inappropriate in that the play could have drastically changed very easily had the handkerchief and […]

Summary and Significance of Act V, Scene II in William Shakespeare’s “Othello”

In Act V, Scene II of Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moorish general’s life and fortune are finally unraveled by the malicious Iago. The general stumbles into his bedchamber to find Desdemona sleeping and reiterates his perceived necessity in killing her. Desdemona is awakened by Othello’s presence of her husband and is battered with charges of gross […]

Iago’s Manipulation of Roderigo in Othello

In the famous play “Othello” by William Shakespeare, Iago is the master of manipulation who ruins several lives maliciously and treacherously. Iago devises a very devious plot that manipulates Roderigo to commit bloody deeds for his treacherous ends. All the major characters become pawns and eventually victims of Iago’s plot. It is as though Iago […]

The Use of Jealousy Throughout Othello

Jealousy is used several times throughout “Othello” as a theme for different characters and is used each time for different reasons. Jealousy is apparent in characters such as Iago, Roderigo, and Othello. Each instant of jealousy provides readers and viewers a better understanding of the character’s feelings and future motives. The message within each character’s […]