Thesis on "Murder: Othello and Iago Two Characters"

Thesis 4 pages (1200 words) Sources: 5 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Murder: Othello and Iago

Two characters that could not be more different are found in William Shakespeare's play, Othello. The characters that serve as foils too one another are Othello and Iago. While our first impressions of the men are completely different, it is interesting to observe how they share some of the same characteristics. They are both soldiers and, ironically, they are both murderers. However, their characters illustrate how we cannot judge an individual completely by their actions, as we miss some important facts. While both men demonstrate that they can kill, we must look into the reasons behind their actions and we begin to see the complexity of the human race. Undoubtedly, both men are killers but one demonstrates the adoring aspect of the human spirit while the other demonstrates how callous the human heart can become from the result of selfishness, jealousy, and hate.

Othello and Iago are perfect characters to compare because they are so different from one another. Ralph Berry observes that the pattern in Othello is a "clear-cut pattern of good and evil" (Berry 3). This is true because t the end of the play, we still dislike Iago and our hearts go out to Othello. Othello is a proud man and a strong warrior and his greatness is what attracted Desdemona to him. Othello is very aware of this, stating, "She loved me for the dangers I had passed,/and I loved her, that she did pity them" (Shakespeare I.iii.166-7). Othello is a man capable of love and is very much in love with his wife. We know that he does come Desdemona too well in the end, but our first impression of him is positive and hopeful. Iago, on the other hand, strikes us as a nasty little man from the moment we first meet him. His first words are negative and degrading. His jealousy bleeds into his conversation as he belittles not only Cassio but all men who choose to serve their masters with a loyal heart. Iago cannot help himself and seems to manage an insult at every moment possible. He loathes honest living, saying, "To be direct and honest is not safe. / I should be wise, for honesty is a fool / and looses that it works for" (III. iii.376-9). He has no intentions of doing good or being good and he does not care who knows it. Ralph Berry puts it succinctly when he observes, "Iago, in truth, likes to think of himself as evil" (Berry 8). This is true and brings us to the major difference between these two murderers.

Both men demonstrate the significance of human nature. Othello does not set out to be evil, mean, or the least bit hurtful. He is a victim. It is important to note that he is not perfect and this is where he encounters trouble with Iago. John Arthos maintains, "Othello falls finally through some coincidence of a failure in himself and the wonderful persistence of Iago's improvisations" (Arthos 94). Iago seizes the moment when he realizes that Othello is prone to jealousy. But it is important to recognize that he is prone to jealousy, not murder. Arthos contends, "Folly and jealousy and lust corrupt his love as ambition never corrupts his other obligations, but it is not the vices that finally lead him to think of killing Desdemona... But honor" (Arthos 103). Iago, on the other hand, is someone we can peg as quite prone to murder. Othello was not inherently evil; Iago drives him to the point of no return. Iago, however, needs no prodding… READ MORE

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