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Othello and Iago

Introduction

Othello is a play that culminates into a tragedy on account of the events that emancipate through the actions of two characters in the play. One is Othello, while the other is Iago. Both have many similarities and many other contrasting features, but what makes them very much dissimilar despite both being murderers is that Othello generally thinks of good for others, while Iago is driven by a mad zeal to destroy anyone who has something which he does not. The reasons why these two characters are unhappy are the same though. Othello is jealous that his wife is unfaithful, while Iago too is jealous of having not been promoted to being the second in command to Othello.

Discussion

“Othello,” is a play by William Shakespeare that closely focuses on two characters; Othello and Iago. Othello is a Moor who lives in Venice and is a serving general in the Army. The introduction of the play regards him as the protagonist by describing him to be a character of high worth. On the other hand, Iago is as the play unfolds comes out to be the antagonist being a liar and manipulator. It can be easily summed that there are many contrasts between these two characters, but apart from these contrasts, there are many similarities too. There are some points on which both these two characters can be compared and contrasted. These are the military power they enjoy, jealousy and manipulation. Starting with the military power, both these characters appear very much similar as they are depicted as characters who are soldiers in action. They can be seen as being similar thorough their power. Othello is both a thinker and a general. He is shown to be a strong person in the military. He appears civil in mannered and this was evident when he spoke before the duke about the threat of the impending war. Iago appears different from Othello in the sense that he wants what is not given to him. He aches after the power which he does not have. As the plot unfolds, we are show Iago to be a person who would do anything even if it means destroying someone in order to fulfill his desire for power (Rosenberg, PP 21-23).

The two characters after comparing them military then demonstrate the tendency to terrorize the thoughts of the audience through their jealousy. This human emotion is found rampant in their character. Both these characters possess this emotion which is the cause of both of them being consumed. With regards to Othello, the culprit was Iago who poisoned his mind by telling him that his wife was unfaithful to him. This emotion seemed growing with time and eventually it resulted in the murder of his wife. While Othello is made to be jealous and acts out of what he is told by someone else, Iago on the other hand has no such reason to do so with the only motive being jealousy. This emotion ...