Othello: A Villainous Tragedy

             Throughout all of literary history there have been two basic types of characters the
             protagonist, or hero, and the antagonist, or villain. Perhaps the greatest villain of all time is most
             greatly expressed in Shakespeare's tragedy Othello. The villain, Iago, would hold a place in any
             dictionary, next to the word villain better than any antagonist in the history of all written or
             spoken word, rivaled only by Satan himself. He expresses evil, deceit, and wickedness in the
             purest of forms. These are the qualities that make Iago the total antithesis of heroism.
             From the very beginning of the play it is clear that Iago is an evil figure. He clearly states
             in the first scene his undying hatred for the hero, Othello. At first glance such hatred seems
             unfounded. The only explanation that he gives in the beginning to the rather rubish character
             Roderigo, is that he wants revenge for being passed over for a promotion to lieutenant by his
             commander, Othello. We later find that he has an underlying, ridiculously unfounded jealousy
             that Othello has slept with his wife, Emilia. Those are only superficial reasonings for his hate,
             though. The real characteristics that make up his depravity and keep his machination of revenge
             alive are as innumerable as they are evil. An entire essay could be written on that subject alone.
             The most obvious characteristic keeps him going is his ability to uphold a facade of being honest
             and trustworthy. This is done mostly by playing a role as a reluctant truth-teller. Through this,
             he gains the blind trust of Othello, Roderigo, and almost every other character in the play. This
             makes him very convincing, which is another characteristic that is so vital to the success of his
             plot. The ease with which he convinces Roderigo to play along in his scheme is one of the most
             essential elements in that scheme. The complete control over almost all of the characters ...

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Othello: A Villainous Tragedy. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 05:49, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/32634.html