Throughout the whole play we see how manipulative and deceitful Iago can be toward the other characters. We see how his use of language and manipulating language gets him to gain the trust of others, such as Roderigo and Othello. Iago is very smart, he doesn’t exactly lie ever throughout the play, he chooses his words carefully and leaves the rest open for interpretation, which in turn forces the characters to fill in the blank, always assuming the worst. For example, Iago gets Othello to believe that Cassio and Desdemona are sleeping together, “I lay with Cassio lately, And being troubled with a raging tooth, I could not sleep. There are kind of men So loose of soul that in their sleeps Will mutter their affairs. One of this kind is Cassio. In sleep I heard him say ‘Sweet Desdemona, Let us be wary, let us hide our loves,’”(3.3.418-23). Iago could potentially be lying but if he is not this is no concrete evidence that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair. He gained a trust with Othello and these words were enough evidence for Othello to believe that Cassio and Desdemona were indeed sleeping together. I often found myself wondering why Othello didn’t just ask Desdemona of the accusations. I don’t think he would have believed her anyway because Iago did a good job of manipulating him into believing him I think Othello would have believed anything that Iago had to say.
At the end of the play it seems as though Iago is at a loss for words his last lines in the play are “Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word”(5.2.309-310). It seems as though for the first time all play Iago can’t talk his way out of the situation he put himself in he is at a loss for words, his is caught and can’t manipulate anyone to set himself free. I found this a little ironic because from the beginning of the play we see Iago manipulate himself in and out of situations. I am also left with a sense of uneasiness because we really don’t get any indication if Iago feels bad for his actions and what they caused people to do, and how many people were killed along the way.
New Paltz Students Blogging about Shakespeare
2 comments:
I also had a sense of uneasiness in Iago's lack of guilt for what he had done. This is the art of tragedy. There is a lack of resolution. As readers, for our own sake, we sometimes need to question "why Othello didn’t just ask Desdemona of the accusations" and to understand that Othello would not have "believed her anyway because Iago did a good job of manipulating him into believing him." This makes me wonder why people read tragedy. If it causes such turmoil within the reader, what keeps us going? Other than separating ourselves from the story and acknowledging the incredible craftsmanship of Shakespeare's works, what is satisfying about taking part in tragedy?
I like the title of this post, as it calls our attention to Iago's main tool--his language. Kaitlin is on the mark in noting the ironic wordlessness, we could call it, at the end of the play. I'm still thinking about something we said in class, though: is Iago at a loss of words, or is he withholding his language purposely, and thus showing his power? I agree we are uneasy as the play concludes, and perhaps it is because we know that Iago is still, in some ways, in control.
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