Difference Between Othello And Iago example essay topic

Reading Othello, you might ask yourself why this book is so acclaimed when it has a relatively simple plot with seemingly simple characters. "It is just a story about a man becoming jealous because of a lying character", you might say. I think Othello isn't a story but it is a character study. The plot is simple but the characters have very complex personalities that are formed and changed through the course of the minimal story line.

The two characters I am comparing and contrasting are Othello and Iago. Note: these characteristics being discussed are the ones portrayed at the beginning of the book. The progression of their characteristics follows the progression of the book but that's a whole different paper. Let's go in ascending order of the characters I said I was comparing.

Othello is a black military man. He is loving and his love is pure and not lustful. His love for Desdemona faces many trials but he states that his love is pure and is with good intentions (Act 1 scene 2 lines 16-27) He also states that he has been honest with the Signiory and has done them favors and has proved his integrity. He is a militaristic man, too and he talks and thinks of himself that way. "Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them", is what he states in act 1 scene 2 line 58.

Instead of saying "don't fight", he gives the more practical, militaristic response to a fight about to take place. Othello is brash and fearless also. He is well respected and an accredited soldier and leader. Iago, on the other hand, is full of hate and spite. He tells Brabantio, Desdemona's father, that Othello has drugged her and seduced her, in order to create trouble for Othello.

Two scenes later (act 1 scene 3 line 289), Othello refers to Iago as "Honest Iago". This shows how Iago is deceitful and crafty. Iago has no real motive to try to hinder Othello and Desdemona being together. He just does it out of evilness and jealousy. Iago goes about his deeds backhandedly because he is cowardly.

All of the characteristics exhibited by Othello and Iago doesn't mean that they have nothing in common with one another. Othello is a very persuasive man along with Othello. They both can talk people into things that would seem rather hard for some people. Iago talks Brabantio into thinking that Othello drugged and seduced his daughter.

Othello talks himself out of it by telling the Signiory and Brabantio that he did not do any of that and that he is truly in honest, pure love with Desdemona. The difference between Othello and Iago is that Iago uses his qualities and strengths for evil, his main characteristic, while Othello uses his strengths for good and love, his main characteristic. In conclusion, the book is about Othello's (temporary) main quality of love and Iago's consistent "quality" of evil and hate and all that is bad. The book is about characteristics of the, you guessed it, characters! So if you " re disappointed about the minimal plot, then you don't understand the play.