In the play, Othello, written by William Shakespeare, the theme revenge appears multiple times. One of the main characters of the play was Iago, who wishes to get revenge on Othello. Iago is extremely jealous of Othello’s fortune and lifestyle, and believes that he needs to get revenge on him because of it. He is very motivated to get revenge on Othello because of the life that Othello lives compared to the life he lives. He is jealous that Othello is a Lieutenant and he is ranked below him in the military.
He is mad that Othello may have had an affair with Iagos wife, Emilia. Lastly, he wants to get revenge on Othello because he is racist against Africans. Iago is a racist, and therefore highly dislikes and seeks revenge on Othello, since he is African. During the time period that Othello was written, Africans were looked down on as slaves and were treated horribly. In the play, Iago judges Africans as bad people, and uses multiple offensive racial slurs against them.
For instance, in the play Iago states, while speaking about Othello, “It should not be that Desdemona continue to love the Moor.” (1.3 384-386). In this quote from Iago, he refers to Othello as a ’Moor’, which was a racist term used against Africans. This shows how Iago felt about Africans, let alone Othello. Iago believed that a beautiful white woman, Desdemona, was too good for an African. He felt that Othello did not deserve to fall in love with such a gorgeous white woman because of
the color of his skin.
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Iago was extremely racist against Africans, and therefore disliked and wished to get revenge on him. Iago is jealous that Othello is a Lieutenant and he is ranked below him in the Military. At the beginning of the play, The Othello had been appointed lieutenant by the military instead of Iago. Iago had believed that he was without a doubt going to be appointed as lieutenant. Iago was extremely shocked and insulted to not have been assigned as lieutenant, but for an African to have been appointed in front of him. While talking to Rodrigo, Iago stated, “In personal suit to make me his Lieutenant, off-capped to him,” (1.1.10-11). This quote shows how angry Iago was to not be lieutenant of the military. As a result of this, Othello is now in charge of [ago and can tell him to do whatever he wants him to. Iago is jealous of Othello and believes that getting revenge is the only answer. Iago is mad at Othello because he believes that Othello had an affair with his wife Emilia. [ago has heard multiple rumors claiming that Othello and Emilia had an affair together while Emilia was married to Iago. This makes Iago very motivated to get revenge on Othello by ruining his marriage. As Iago said in the play, “Now I do love her too, not out of absolute lust, but partly led to diet my revenge for that I do suspect the lusty moor.” (2.1 313-317). This statement shows that Iago believes is seeking for revenge to damage Othello’s marriage in the same way Othello damaged his. Iago plans to get revenge on Othello
by starting a rumor that Desdemona, Othello’s wife, is having an affair with another man. Iago is extremely motivated to go through with this plan because of the rumors he has heard about Emilia and Othello. Iago wishes to get revenge on Othello because he is racist against Africans, jealous that Othello is ranked Lieutenant instead of him, and mad that Othello and Emilia had an affair together. This play shows how jealousy can take over people’s lives, and result in violent actions. Unfortunately, in this situation, [ago’s jealousy kills multiple people, including himself.
The Revenge of Iago in Othello, a Play by William Shakespeare. (2022, Nov 11). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/the-revenge-of-iago-in-othello-a-play-by-william-shakespeare/
