It’s an argumentative essay. Received some feed back on it from the professor mostly what he mentioned about my paper is that there is a lot of story plotting and not enough of my own ideas, supportive details and thoughts on why he is evil. I received at 76% on this paper (D). I would like the paper to be more well organized also without much plotting like I did. also the paper needs 8 sources which I provided already, can they be cited corrected in MLA they might need some adjustments.
Eng. 102
3 December 2020
Good vs. Evil in Othello
Willliam Shakespeare’s Othello demonstrates the struggle between two extremes of evil and good, the play is depicted through various characters’ interactions that revolve around jealousy and anger. The play paints a vivid representation of characters who faced the impasse of picking between moral and evil. To be evil to another person one has to violate trust and plan to bring someone from their happiness. However, most of the characters that Shakespeare depicts to be under the struggle end up giving in to the overwhelming wicked power that Iago presents in several scenes. Othello was the perfect illustration of a noble hearted soldier, but this started changing when Iago started controlling him through manipulative skills. Desdemona was also a perfect example of symphatetic because of her kind and friendly heart. Some readers may argue Iago wasn’t physicaly responsible for the murders of Desdemona and Othello only for killing Emilia and Roderigo, that’s short-sighted. Iago is the ideal exemplification of evil because he aims to socially influence characters in the play to his enjoyment and benefits. I believe he is evil, and he enjoys leadership in his own mind due to his selfish ego.
Iago uses his honest and manipulative traits to bring down renowned figures in the play, especially Othello, a respected soldier on European soil that Iago believes because of Othello’s skin color that he is evil and capable of witchcraft. Shakespeare utilizes unsolved puzzles to express the standoff between good and evil in the play. Iago is at the center of showing his reputation of honesty and focusing to get to the Leitenant position, whereby he tries to manipulate other characters such as Rodrigo in ensuring that they do not see his wickedness. Many readers argue the exact reason why Iago acts with such hatred. Iago believes he should fight for his promotion, yet the offer not been given to him he goes after Othello as he sees the position taken away from him in a form of disrespect to give the position to Cassio. Pride is common among various people who think that they are doing the right thing, so Iago becomes stuborn and his pride led him to seek satisfaction. This is one reason Iago plans to bring Othello down. In Act 1, Iago indicates that “I am not what I am” (1.1,65). Referring to Moses’s story in Exodus, one can see how the phrase that Iago used can play out in the manner in which the speakers seek affirmation. So, Iago seeks to save himself from the embarrassment since he knows what people are saying about him and the implications that those might have in his relationship with other characters throughout the play. So, manipulation does not change that he is evil, and he sees Othello as one of his primary targets. The words that come through Iago’s mouth usually aim to create some rapport with those who are easily susceptible, which is a clear indication of evil and the desire to destroy Othello’s life for embarrassing him to entire army.
Furthermore, Iago believes that he is stronger than the rest of the characters, which is why he usually sees the evil in others. He thinks highly of himself , “I know my price, I am worth no worse a place” (Pryse 461). Thou he thinks he derves tho be the Lieutenant and not just an officer he growns hatred that boils his skin. As a result, he wants to attack Othello, and the primary way he can successfully execute his mandate is to pick Roderigo. Iago had tested Roderigo and found out that his gullibility can advance his evil plans so he knew he was smarter than Roderigo. “put money in thy purse,” (Act 1 scene 3) Iago told Roderigo to sell his lands and so he did, proving that Roderigo was Iago’s puppet. With Cassio, Iago believes he has more military experience than him. Roderigo is the easiest target, and that prompts Iago to use him in an attempt to convince Desdemona, at this point Iago knew he would always get his way, this build his potential towards feeding his dark evil side with wrongful actions. So, whenever Roderigo wants to give Desdemona gifts, Iago retains the jewelry and other types of presents and asks Roderigo for more of them. This is mere exploitation considering that Roderigo is wealthy and Iago is openly taking advantage of his gullibility. When something goes as planned it works as brain food to keep coming up with better plans in this case Iago continued to prepare to savagate other character’s lives. Iago’s manipulation tactics don’t last long as Roderigo catches what he is doing. Iago is quick as well as smart to plot his evil plans but doesn’t seem to think them through. Which a downfall to a scheme can also make him want to think harder to make sure his plans are victorious and his confidence as well as thoughts of thinking his better than others don’t fall apart.
Roderigo indicates that upon coming to terms with the duke giving permission for Othello to marry Desdemona, “Roderigo despairs and contemplates suicide” (Act 1 scene 3). His thoughts of suicide made Iago very happy. When helping Roderigo get to Desdemona, Iago finds it of much interest in addition to his advantage that she has been ganted permission to marry Othello. Iago acknowledges this is the perfect time to take control of the lustfull situation and get retaliation on Othello for not giving Iago the promotion. Iago does a great job at hiding his real reason to be on Roderigo’s side and kepping it to himself that he wanted the position that was given to Roderigo.. In all the evil Shakespeare brings out through the four characters, love is ironically the motif centering what brings Iago’s disturbing evil manner. It makes the readers think of why love is not linked to good deeds but hatred and lust. Readers also believe and defend Iago from being evil because he is married to Emiia making him religious, therefore uncapable of such ignoble intentions. In the Bible, love is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which helps create an environment conducive to living in while interacting with each other. Therefore, it should not command wickedness and malice in society as it is contrarily evident in Othello. By hating Othello, Roderigo feels that he could even commit suicide not to be witnessing the blossoming relationships (Arenas 47). As it is familiar with Iago, taking advantage of such situations could suit him. So, he pushes Roderigo to stick to Desdemona, which forces him to continue fighting on even though the chances of winning were minimal. This gives readers enough proof that Iago really enjoys seen other suffer, Roderigo is desperate for Desdemona and he wants him to get his hopes up even though he knows he will later separate them. Through this, it is evident that Iago had selfish interests of later taking over Desdemona after the hatred escalates between Roderigo and Othello that can even lead to deaths.
Moreover, Iago’s manipulative nature pushes him to other evil plans. This time, he wants Roderigo to murder Cassio in return for Desdemona. This shows Iago’s view on characters, he is so full of disrespect and evil he makes it sound as of he can gamble and exchange favors by using them as property. For yet another time, Roderigo falls into the trap even though he showed some laxity this time. Desdemona seems to be the accessory to evil since Iago believes that Roderigo’s weakness existed in her (Nalisnick and Baird 78). The thought that he would marry Desdemona and live with her for the entire life further persuaded Roderigo to show how women were objectified in the play.
Additionally, in most scenes, other characters think that Iago has a positive side even though he has been depicted as evil. This is because Iago was faithful to Othello in the past and had never betrayed him. Iago has used his honesty towards Othello to cover his evil character. Furthermore, most of these characters in the play perceive Iago as an honorable man who could not do anything to harm them. Towards the climax, Iago’s persuasion skills come into play as he deals with one character after another. He is so witty that none of the plans backfires on him. Considering that he did not directly get Roderigo to undertake the task of killing him, the other option was to frame him. It also needed manipulative skills, which portrayed a lot of evil in him. He is confident that Cassio could quickly get drunk after taking alcohol. So, Cassio ends up in a ferocious fight with Roderigo to the delight of Iago, who seizes the opportunity to get the news to Othello. The main aim was to ensure Cassio is portrayed as a bad leader who could not exercise control. It is common among those who wish others bad things in society. It results in the firing of Cassio by Othello as the plans had born fruits. At this juncture, Iago’s hatred towards Cassio is evident, although the former was so hypocritical that he wanted Othello to view him as an honorable and caring man. To further facilitate his evil plans, Iago persuades Cassio to use Desdemona to win back his job. Thus, it is evident that Iago had not given up on promoting his evil deeds, and he could not rest until he attained some substantive outcomes in the end. Like alcohol, Iago is able to control characters like Roderigo and Cassio and cause them to think and act differently as well as unreasonable.
Besides, Iago uses his manipulative skills to ensure that Othello murdered his wife. The more Iago spends time with Cassio, the more he learns his weaknesses and the fact that latter might have developed Desdemona’s interests. So, since Cassio had been going to Othello’s place when he was away, one could easily conclude that an affair is in the offing. The next step is to convince Othello by presenting evidence that the sexual relationship is existing. Iago decides to use the handkerchief that he received from Emilia, which he finally plants in Cassio’s room as the crucial evidence. It is with the handkerchief that Iago is able to manipulate Othello. It is evident that “Iago uses Emilia as a tool; he cares for her only in so far as she is of use to him.” It is because Emilia was persuaded by Iago to take Desdemona’s handkerchief without her notice. At this time, Othello believes that what was happening affected his marriage can make him seem weak and as if he can’t control his relationship. He never considered Iago’s possible manipulation, which is because he had believed in him and has never betrayed Othello in all the years, they knew each other (Arenas 54). Othello thinks that the existing friendship would not allow any lies. However, the lie is costly, and Othello turns against Desdemona, calling her names even when she was not a whore. The shame that cripples their marriage is evident, and Othello did not even ask any more questions to both Emilia and Cassio. Iago is a wrongful character who like the devil uses the vulnerabilities of others against them in an effort to destroy them.
One can consider Othello’s jealousy his weak point since Iago used it to make sure that he got what he wanted. Through the malicious activities that Iago came up with, which were highly manipulative, the love that existed between Othello and Desdemona gradually ended and surprised many people across the region. It means that it was hard for the two to reconcile their issues with Iago in the picture. Also, the fact that Iago picked Othello and Roderigo, as well as Cassio, is that he had seen their weaknesses (Arenas 56). From this point of view, the characters believe in Iago without questioning his character. Thus, the good and evil clash in a manner that affects Iago’s credibility as an independent character (Hall 8). It is only the audience who somehow knows what is going on about him, but the characters fall into his trap one after the other. He uses characters for his own personal gain and lies to the no limit in order to achieve his final goal, without any mercy upon his enemies.
To save her marriage, Desdemona tries to prove that she loves Othello, but all her pleas fall on deaf ears. The evil emanating from Iago even makes Othello want to kill his wife, who had faithfully fulfilled her duties to him in the best way possible (Hall 10). At some point, Othello says, “Therefore confess thee freely of thy sin, for to deny each article with oath Cannot remove nor choke the strong conception That I do groan withal. Thou art to die” (V.ii.61-64). It shows that Othello had become rigid in his mind and wanted to ensure that he proceeds in his evil thoughts of murder. “I won’t! I’ll hang her.” Othello announced (Galland 146). From this story of manipulation and hatred, the main goal is murder, which shows that every society without goal intentions leads to outcomes that would enhance sorrows. In Othello’s case, the manipulation had stirred his mind to the extent that he could do anything evil to satisfy his wildness. Othello then successfully murdered his wife, and this becomes his major downfall in the play. He does not stop there as he goes ahead to plan to kill Cassio. So, Iago had successfully created hatred that resulted in a more evil society while he believes that he is a moral person he should be relied upon. Despite all of
Othello’s actions Iago hid all his feelings without revealing them no matter what.
Towards the end of Act 5, Othello comes to his sense, which leads to him killing himself as he could not stand the humiliation in society. Through this, Shakespeare wants the readers to understand that as one partakes evil ways, they will reap the same. Even though Othello resolved to forgive his wife, he believes that his life cannot be the same again (Abuzahra and Salahat 186). So, suicide appears to be the solution for his guilt, and evil had successfully given birth to another sin. Initially, Othello was a man of integrity who commanded respect from his peers and society (Abuzahra and Salahat 185). When the incident happened, his reputation crashed, and Iago was happy since he successfully attained his goals. However, since Desdemona died, Iago’s plans to have her did not go through, and instead, his actions only turned the society into a den of deaths and more evil. Shakespeare has a way to attract you to the evil person and see both the nature and rhetoric view of the actors (Beiser 35). Iago became the most controlling and revengeful character when it comes to getting what he wants.
From Othello’s actions, jealousy is the main trait that favorably connects with evil. It forces one to be angry and think of more evil plans such as murder and even contemplating suicide in the end. The military skills that Othello had developed over a long time were rubbished just because of the evil plans that Iago had. It suggests that evil has harmful effects on the members of society. Good deeds might not have a ripple effect that is more pronounced than evil ones. The main reason behind this is that harm quickly brings down people while something good does not easily uplift the characters. As seen in Iago’s case, by claiming that he is a virtuous person, this does not make him great but aids in manipulating the characters into thinking that they can rely upon him. To warn others from evil, Shakespeare picks jealousy and anger as they are the main evil points in the entire manipulative saga, together with lies that bring disorder among the characters.
From the entire story, evil appears to be stronger than just because of Iago and Othello’s existing contrast. The two represent two different factions of society, considering their characters. While Iago is evil and manipulative, Othello is a good man who believes that his military tactics would earn him more respect from the Europeans despite his distinct ethnic differences. “Shakespeare shows the real power of sophistry and the concealment in the character of Iago, whose facated is impenetrable and whose words are persuasive.” (Beier 40). True to his plans, Iago fights off Othello’s moral side and changes him into a monster who believes that murder resolves everything. As all these unfold, Iago watches from afar while behaving as if he was the best person to confide in. Surprisingly, he knows what he is doing and is not even remorseful (Hal 19). Othello’s white shed represents good while the pure black one associated with Iago portrays his evil ways, which led to massive destruction in the entire play. “Iago was eager to become Othello’s Lieutenant and also wanted Othello’s life to be ruined.” (Raatzsch 534). So, the actions of the two, in the end, show how wickedness wins and makes every bad character the same.
In conclusion, the fight between evil and good becomes ferocious and brings down most of the characters. Although Othello represents good, he falls into Iago’s manipulative trap and ends up committing murder. Iago did not care that the soldiers could kill him in the end after being arrested. At this point he wishes he would have been killed rather than taken prisoner for life, that way he wouldn’t have to deal with the pain and regrets of no having Emilia killed before she exposed him. Still, his happiness comes when he successfully destroys the life of characters such as Othello. All his plans portrayed jealousy blended with anger and selfishness. With evil deeds come humiliation and shame, and that is why Othello resolved to commit suicide. So, in the end, evil won against good. A peaceful society with love and many other positive attributes is eventually shattered, and Iago, the evil, takes the blame. The other characters are to blame for their naivety and gullibility as they could easily be Iago’s targets to attain his plans without being interrupted at all.
Work Cited
Abuzahra, Nimer, and Rami Salahat. “Analyzing Iago’s Speech in Shakespeare’s Othello.” Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics 2.2 (2018): 185-203.
Arenas, Enrique Cámara. “Causal attribution and the analysis of literary characters: AC Bradley’s study of Iago and Othello.” Journal of literary semantics 39.1 (2010): 43-66.
Beier, Benjamin V. “The Art of Persuasion and Two Iagos.” Studies in Philology, vol. 111, no. 1, 2014, pp Shakespeare’s. 34–64.
Galland, Nicole. I, Iago. An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2012. pp 146
Hall, Joan Lord. Othello: A Guide to the Play. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999.
Nalisnick, Eric T., and Henry S. Baird. “Character-to-character sentiment analysis in Shakespeare’s plays.” Proceedings of the 51st Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (Volume 2: Short Papers). 2017.
Pryse, Marjorie. “Lust for Audience: An Interpretation of Othello.” ELH, vol. 43, no. 4, 1976. pp 461.
Raatzsch, Richard, and Ladislaus Löb. The Apologetics of 26 Evil: The Case of Iago. Princeton University Press, 2009.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Vol. 6. Edited by Horace Howard Furness. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1886.
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