Othello, the Moor of Venice
William Shakespeare
Iago is after Othello because he heard a rumor that Othello slept with Emilia, Iago's wife. Now, though it is a rumor, I understand where he is coming from. Honor is a big part of the society they are living in, but why doesn't Iago burn Othello's house down or stab him in the leg? It's because Iago wants a punishment worthy of the crime. We knew that Iago acts his evil out through manipulation and deceit, but that is because he suspects Othello used such tactics to sleep with his wife. Furthermore, Iago doesn't trust women. He is aware of the tricks they can play in the game of love, he just applies those tricks in the game of revenge. He states that "if she be fair and wise, fairness and wit, the one's for use, the other useth it" (1386 Shakespeare). Women attract men with how they look, but use manipulation and other tactics to keep a man around forever. Iago recognized these practices, mastered them, and made his target to be revenge rather than marriage. The same tricks Othello (allegedly) used to get with Iago's wife, Iago will use on others to have Othello's sanity and well-being stricken from him.
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