Othello Essay

Table of Contents

Outline...................................................................................................... 3

Othello Essay ........................................................................................... 4

Roderigo .................................................................................................. 5

Cassio....................................................................................................... 6

Othelllo .................................................................................................... 7
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Outline

I. Introduction

II. Paragraph on Cassio

a. Infatuation towards Desdemona

b. JeolusyJealousy of Othello

c. Loyalty to Iago

III. Paragraph on Cassio

IV. Paragraph on Othello

V. Conclusion

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Jennifer Pak

Mr. Dixon

European Literature

25 January 2011

Iago is an enormously elaborate character. He is like a serial killer

capable of taking on various characters based on his prey. However, he is as

perceptive as a predator. He knows his victims and chooses specific methods

that would allow him to easily capture and subdue them. However,

throughout the book, it seemed as if a lot of the characters were all put in a

situation where they were unusually vulnerable to Iago’s plans. Roderigo,

Cassio and Othello all have circumstances and problems that make it easy

for Iago to use them. Even though Iago is a very sly and intelligent

mastermind, his victims’ particular character, situation or circumstance

makes it even easier for him to bring them to their destruction.

Roderigo is infatuated, desperate, jealous and rejected. He is

infatuated with Desdemona and is crestfallen to find out that she has already

given herself to Othello, the moor. These two factors already put him in the

category for being Iago’s easy target. Iago, taking on the mask of a loyal

friend trying to help, approaches Roderigo and offers advice and assistance

on how to win Desdemona backgain Desdamona for himself. Because of

Roderigo’s desperate need of winning over Desdemona, Rogerigo becomes

highly dependent and loyal to Iago.

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Roderigo is increasingly worried and vows to do anything in his power.

under Iago’s control. Blinded by jealously, Roderigo acts very emotionally

and cannot think logically. Iago takes advantage of this weakness as well. He

uses logical reasoning and persuasion to continue to keep Roderigo under his

radar. Roderigo’s circumstances make Iago use logos because it was easy for

Iago to apply reason and logic to Roderigo’s twisted state of mind. This is

most evident when Iago persuades Roderigo to follow Desdemona to Cyprus

as a last attempt to gain Desdemona’s favor. However, this wasn’t what Iago

had in mind. Iago wanted Roderigo’s money and because Iago knew

Roderigo is desperate enough to follow Desdemona anywhere, he takes

advantage of Roderigo’s situation (I.iii.361). This type of ruse wouldn’t have

worked had Roderigo been successful in gaining Desdemona and wasn’t in

such a state of infatuation. so infatuated.

As Roderigo becomes more and more unstable and insecure about his

chance of earning Desdemona, he acts violently and rashly. These

circumstances also present an open lane for Iago’s tricks. During the course

of the book, Roderigo attacks Iago because he believes Iago wasn’t helping

him and only made him spend all his money. This time applying ethos, Iago

reminds Roderigo that he is honest. He continues to maintain the position as

a loyal friend who his trying his hardest to satisfy Roderigo’s love towards

Desdemona (II.iii.384-400). Roderigo is increasingly disorganized and

rejected. He needs a loyal friend who could remind him of the possibilities of

his gaining Desdemona. Knowing this, Iago uses Roderigo’s upset situation

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and persuades him once more that he is the only one to trust. Now, Roderigo

is fully loyal to Iago and is totally blind to the plans that have been intricately

put together by Iago in order to manipulate, destroy and eventually kill him.

There is another unfortunate character that falls under Iago’s trap.

Cassio is a suave, gullible, upset and rejected man. He is the loyal lieutenant

of Othello. However, he is also a man well known for being polite and smooth

with the ladies of Venice. This sort of character trait is the first thing Iago

used against Cassio. After a good observation of Cassio’s attitude towards

women and especially towards Desdemona, Iago finalizes his plan of putting

Cassio in a position where Othello would no longer trust him. This was the

main reason why Iago chose Cassio and then used him to destroy Othello.

Cassio’s innate characteristic of being a polite man made him susceptible to

being a target of Iago’s plans. Cassio is gullible and polite to men as well. As

Iago offered a drink to Cassio, he couldn’t reject it because he was easy to

fall for Cassio’s words and also felt bad about saying no. This was the start of

Cassio’s downfall (II.iii.34).

Cassio falls right into Iago’s plans and got severely drunk. His state of

drunkenness made him fight with Montano, Roderigo and eventually lose his

position as lieutenancy. This made Cassio extremely desperate. He was

upset about both losing his position and about losing his trust from Othello.

Cassio’s situation was perfect for Iago to attack. Cassio easily accepted all

Iago’s use of appealing to Cassio with logical advice and help because Cassio

did not have any idea how to regain his trust or position. Iago persuades

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Cassio to appeal to Desdemona since Othello would listen to all the wishes of

his newly wed wife (III.i.35). This can be thought of as a good idea. However,

because Cassio is in need of even the slightest advice, he deemed it more

effective and probable. Similar to Roderigo’s case, Cassio accepts Iago’s plan

and advise with openness because he was put in a situation where he was in

desperate need of somebody to lean on and trust.

Lastly, Othello also had circumstances where he was more open to

Iago’s advice and relies on Iago’s loyalty. First of all, Othello was “The Moor.”

He was always the outsider and felt insecure about earning Desdemona as

his wife. Already Othello was the outcast and needed security in the world.

He himself also admits that the only way Desdemona started loving him was

through his sad stories and because she pitied him (I.iii.175-185). Iago was

always the loyal friend who was there for him. He encourages Othello and

reminds him of his excellence in battle and doesn’t fail to express his honor

and servitude. Iago easily takes advantage of Othello because Iago already

knows that Othello was insecure and worried about Desdemona. He easily

manipulates the mind of Othello with jealousy by implying Desdemona’s

illicit relationship with Cassio.

Othello’s dramatic conversation with Iago explicates how unstable he

is and how little his faith towards Desdemona was. Any small evidence was

capable of convincing Othello that Desdemona is being unfaithful (III.iii.467).

Because of Othello’s jealous and unstable mindset, Iago’s small ruse of

placing Othello in a situation where he knew that Cassio was lying with his

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wife made Othello go mad. In such ways, Othello’s situation was perfect for

Iago to apply pathos. Any sort of insinuation, leading question or repetition of

an idea served as an emotional trigger and Othello was overcome with angry

emotions (III.iii.110-130). Eventually, like Roderigo and Cassio, Iago is

successful in destroying Othello’s life because Othello is vulnerable and open

to attack; his emotions were unstable and any offense against him would

have easily brought him down.

Iago is definitely the worst a man could be and uses all sorts of

methods to bring down his enemies. However, in the case of Roderigo,

Cassio and Othello, each of them made it even easier for Iago. They were in

situations that made themselves vulnerable to Iago’s plans and eventually

fell into the strategic ruses of Iago. Desperateness, the state of being

rejected and jealousy were all some of the positions each of them were in

and were all circumstances, which made them an easy target.

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Pak, Jennifer M. "Ca8jennifer13's Posterous." Web log post. Posterous. Posterous. Web. 26 Jan.
2011. <http://posterous.com/manage#ca8jennifer13/posts>.