What is the difference between othello and iago

Book: Othello. Both Othello and Iago are fearless and poetic men who are overcome by the desire for revenge, however, Othello lacks the keen insight Iago has, and as a result, is ruined by Iago.

Othello and Iago are both fearless and assertive men. What [he] know[s], [he] know[s]. Othello is passionate, sensual, and honest, while Iago is cynical, devious, and evil. Othello on the other hand is a confident and honest man. Othello is truly confident in his worth and the righteousness of his actions. He uses crude language. He swears: "S'blood"; "Zounds"; and uses crude sexual and animal images to taunt Brabantio: "an old black ram is tupping your white ewe" By using the agricultural term for breeding or mating two beasts, Iago reduces the act of love to a basic action.

Othello, in contrast, uses gentle and tender terms to describe his affection, and never mentions it as simply a physical act. He says: "I love the gentle Desdemona", and this suffices to explain his feelings. It is obvious that Othello is a much 'deeper', more sensitive man than Iago. Another contrast is that Iago's motivation is himself and his self-interest. Iago desires success and gain for himself and no other.

It appears that his major grudge against Othello is that he promoted "a fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife" that is, Cassio above himself. He speaks bitterly about Cassio and his mathematical skills because of his self-interest - although to the He is the same with everyone except Desdemona - understandably, as they are married.

He is open, bold and unafraid. He admits, when he says "rude am I in my speech" that he is no great orator, and this perhaps contributes to his honesty and open level with all other characters.

He is "unvarnished", as opposed to Iago, whom one could say is so 'varnished' that only the audience can see through all his layers to the deceit within. Neither character is wholly positive. Whilst we recognise Iago as the 'melodramatic' villain, we can also see that Othello is not altogether good, and that his possessiveness of Desdemona could get the better of him and prove his downfall. Get Access. Satisfactory Essays. Othello Essay Words 2 Pages. Othello Essay.

Read More. Good Essays. Character Of Iago In Othello. Iago Jealousy Essay Words 3 Pages. For instance, both characters are presented as having a weakness for intense passions and desires. For Othello, there is so much love and possessiveness that he feels for Desdemona, to the point that he would rather kill her than let anyone else have her. Iago, on the other hand, has an intense hatred for Othello that he devises a scheme to destroy him; by hatching a plan that would have Othello believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Michael Cassio, his lieutenant.

At the same time, both Iago and Othello are might military men who are easily identifiable through their strengths.

Unlike Othello, Iago has a tendency for using base language, particularly, to describe elements of humanity such as sexuality. On the converse, Othello uses gentle, more refined and tender phrases to depict his affections and emotions, so that he distances his feelings from mere physical feelings. In this case, Othello gets to represent decency, while Iago, the basest aspects of humanity Shakespeare, In another wavelength, the play presents Iago as an individual who is solely motivated by his self-interest, to the point that he wants success and increase for himself, alone.