Jealous:
Introduction of the Villain
In Act I of Othello, Iago says “Call up her father. / Rouse him. Make after him, poison his delight, / Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsman, / And though he in a fertile climate dwell, / Plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy, / Yet throw such chances of vexation on ‘t / As it may lose some color” (I. i. 74-80). This passage is difficult to paraphrase because Iago has such dramatic intensively of saying tell Brabantio about Othello’s relationship with Desdemona. I take “poison his delight” to mean Iago wishes to make Brabantio go into a foul mood. “Proclaim him in the streets” would serve to notify everyone of what happened in Brabantio’s house and further anger Brabantio. Iago wishes to drive Brabantio into a murderous rage and send him towards Othello. Iago (notice how often his name appears within the "blame" blog..)shows that he wishes harm upon Othello and instead of doing it himself, he sends a senator and the senator’s kinsmen after Othello. This passage shows that Iago is manipulative and enjoys the theatrics of exacting revenge on Othello. As a result of Iago’s theatrics, the passage becomes hard to paraphrase completely while the gist of it is still present. This passage is significant to the play because is shows that Iago is an important part of the story. Iago can be assumed to be a mastermind of most the troubles that Othello will have to face. This passage shows that Iago plots to ruin Othello just because he did not receive a promotion he thought he deserved. This pettiness hints that Iago will become a sort of villain in this play. When I first read this passage, it led me to assume that Iago would be the antagonist of the play, more so than Roderigo (who had a stronger reason for wanting to ruin Othello). This passage is important because it introduces the villain and provides insight of the villain’s motivations and characteristics.
Jealousy
Iago’s motivation for his evil acts is never specifically revealed in the play. He is upset and jealous that Cassio was chosen as lieutenant over him "in good time, must must his lieutenant be, and I {God} bless the mark, must be beleed and calmed" even though he, Iago, had more experience in the service. This caused an utmost hatred for Othello. His rejection of lieutenant is not really the reason for Iago’s rampage of manipulation, however. It is more about the fact that Iago wants everyone to feel as he does. He wants everyone to be as jealous and angry as he is. Iago believes that he is the victim in all this. Iago’s goal is not to be sympathetic and helpful towards Othello but to destroy him, a goal which Iago successfully attains by using manipulation.
- "feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages." (Dictionary.com)
Introduction of the Villain
In Act I of Othello, Iago says “Call up her father. / Rouse him. Make after him, poison his delight, / Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsman, / And though he in a fertile climate dwell, / Plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy, / Yet throw such chances of vexation on ‘t / As it may lose some color” (I. i. 74-80). This passage is difficult to paraphrase because Iago has such dramatic intensively of saying tell Brabantio about Othello’s relationship with Desdemona. I take “poison his delight” to mean Iago wishes to make Brabantio go into a foul mood. “Proclaim him in the streets” would serve to notify everyone of what happened in Brabantio’s house and further anger Brabantio. Iago wishes to drive Brabantio into a murderous rage and send him towards Othello. Iago (notice how often his name appears within the "blame" blog..)shows that he wishes harm upon Othello and instead of doing it himself, he sends a senator and the senator’s kinsmen after Othello. This passage shows that Iago is manipulative and enjoys the theatrics of exacting revenge on Othello. As a result of Iago’s theatrics, the passage becomes hard to paraphrase completely while the gist of it is still present. This passage is significant to the play because is shows that Iago is an important part of the story. Iago can be assumed to be a mastermind of most the troubles that Othello will have to face. This passage shows that Iago plots to ruin Othello just because he did not receive a promotion he thought he deserved. This pettiness hints that Iago will become a sort of villain in this play. When I first read this passage, it led me to assume that Iago would be the antagonist of the play, more so than Roderigo (who had a stronger reason for wanting to ruin Othello). This passage is important because it introduces the villain and provides insight of the villain’s motivations and characteristics.
Jealousy
Iago’s motivation for his evil acts is never specifically revealed in the play. He is upset and jealous that Cassio was chosen as lieutenant over him "in good time, must must his lieutenant be, and I {God} bless the mark, must be beleed and calmed" even though he, Iago, had more experience in the service. This caused an utmost hatred for Othello. His rejection of lieutenant is not really the reason for Iago’s rampage of manipulation, however. It is more about the fact that Iago wants everyone to feel as he does. He wants everyone to be as jealous and angry as he is. Iago believes that he is the victim in all this. Iago’s goal is not to be sympathetic and helpful towards Othello but to destroy him, a goal which Iago successfully attains by using manipulation.
Citations:
Text:
"Othello's Fault." Othellos Fault. N.p., May 2015. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/everybodydies/>.
"Jealous." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, 2016. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/jealous>.
Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. New York: First Washington, 1999. Print.
Image:
Iago. Digital image. Othello's Fault. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2016. <http://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/everybodydies/>.
Lively, Jess. Jealousy Quote. Digital image. The EVERYGIRL. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://theeverygirl.com/feature/dealing-with-jealousy>.
Text:
"Othello's Fault." Othellos Fault. N.p., May 2015. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/everybodydies/>.
"Jealous." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, 2016. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/jealous>.
Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. New York: First Washington, 1999. Print.
Image:
Iago. Digital image. Othello's Fault. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2016. <http://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/everybodydies/>.
Lively, Jess. Jealousy Quote. Digital image. The EVERYGIRL. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Jan. 2016. <http://theeverygirl.com/feature/dealing-with-jealousy>.