Othello I Am Not What I Am Essay Example

undoing of Othello’s security; making him vulnerable through this manipulation. Through line “Villan, be sure thou prove my love a whore; Be sure of it. Give me the ocular proof;” the reader can clearly see the inner self of Othello that is in a desire of proof against Desdemona and the trace of Othello’s helping hand for Iago. Thus it is not Iago who is in complete fault of manipulating things but also Othello who provides him with the space talk about it, therefore showing truth to the idea that no one is truly who they appear to be.

Iago is in full awareness of the results of his actions. He knows what he does is wrong, but he simply doesn’t care as his overwhelming desire for authority and power has brutally dehumanized him. “I am a very villain else” brings great attention to his alarming moral vacancy and exhibits his never ending drive to achieve his goals, no matter what the cost. One of his villainous techniques is telling one person(s) one thing, and another person(s) something else. Due to his he can then play off against the other, and by having jurisdiction over the situation, implement his schemes. A key example of this is when Iago says to Othello “I cannot think it, that he would steal away so guilty like, seeing your coming”. The fact that Iago says “I cannot think it” makes it sound as if Cassio has committed some terrible deed, and because of this overly dramatic, ambiguous line, it formulates an important threat to Othello, and consequently assists in aiding Iago’s plan; putting him in control.

The

idea of ‘I am not what I am’ is best exercised through lines “I protest, in the sincerity of love and honest kindness” and “good god, the should of all my tribe defend from jealousy” This blatant irony depicted numerous times throughout the play displays how utterly oblivious the characters are and how Iago is constantly one step ahead of the game his manufactured. It’s evident that he has suffocated everyone within his wickedness that they are blind the facade he has disguised himself with. Conformation of this is shown through lines “O that’s an honest fellow” and “Goodnight, honest Iago”, thus proving the extent to which Iago has managed to deceive everyone.

Ultimately, in being desensitized to the suffering of others, Iago is under the illusion that he is emotionally invincible and immune to a guilty conscious. Shakespeare is implying that it is the state of being emotionally barren and detached from reality that may just eventually break us. Iago’s obsessive lust for power and advancement contributes to the destructive effect of turning him into the epitome of a villain, whose sheer hatred and lack of morals in the attempt to fulfill his desires brings on his own self destruction and a life lived in constant fabrication.