Honest Iago Essay -- essays papers

Honest Iago The poet Coleridge appropriately described the character of Iago as being one of agentless malignity. Throughout the play Iagos motives atomic number 18 secondary to, and seem only to serve as practicedification for, his actions. Iago is compulsive by his nature of character. To discuss Coleridges assessment we must facial gesture at Iagos characterfrom Iagos point of view and that of the otherwise charactershis motives, methods, and pawns. Through some c atomic number 18fully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits him all the while he is force Othello, Desdemona, Roderigo, Emilia, and Cassio to their tragic end. According to Websters New International Dictionary, Second Edition, malignity is part defined as disposition to do sliminess. promiscuous is implied in the exposition of malignity. That one has a disposition to do evil is to express evil is in the nature of the malignant person motive is non an issue. Motiveless malignity is redundant in the pure meaning of the words. Does Coleridge mean to say that Iago cannot help himself from being evil or does he mean that what Iago did was without motive? For the sake of this discussion, Coleridge intends the later. Abbott states in truth character is what a person is composition is what he is supposed to be. (Websters) Is Iago evil? No, he is not. Walter Lippmann says that evil is not a quality of things as such. It is a quality of our relation to them. (Websters) Iago is not oppose to good (a partial definition of evil) however, he is amoral and malicious. How does Iago see himself? Others there are who, trimmed in forms and visages of duty, keep yet their hearts attending on themselves, and t... ...d knowledge of the nature of things to play a blue and win. He does not make each move with conscious reason, only to win the game thus Iago is sluttish at each step. He is like a child who only enj oys tumbling down the blocks of other children he is the play-yard roughneck. When asked why, the bully generally shrugs and says I dont know. Similarly when asked why, Iagos response is just as simple What you know, you know. Act V, Scene 2, Line 302 And Iago knew why and he knew how. Iago close honestly confesses to Emily I told him what I thought, and told no more than what he put together himself was apt and true Act V, Scene 2, Line 175 The unspoken line comes next they believed what they wantedthey are the guilty not I. Iago is a crafty, intelligent, manipulative school-yard bully, who is motiveless at each move. Iago is an honest man--deadly honest.