Word manipulation can have a great impact on human behavior. The impact of manipulation is uncontrollable; individuals use it without even thinking about it, because that's what humans do to get what they want. In William Shakespeare's play Othello, the characters' manipulation, jealousy, and betrayal change the way they view themselves and others. Iago uses the manipulation of words to persuade Othello throughout the play. Iago uses his intelligence and patience to achieve his goals in the play. Othello becomes a dynamic character after being convinced by Iago that he began to perceive everyone differently. There are many ways in which the characters in “Othello” perceive themselves and others differently. Othello changed his perception very significantly throughout the play. At the beginning of the play, Othello loved Desdemona, but as the play progressed, Othello hated Desdemona so much that he wanted to kill her. Desdemona considers herself the most faithful wife anyone could have. Othello perceives quite the opposite when he sees Desdemona. When Iago first told him that Desdemona was cheating on him. Othello looked at Iago as if he was irrational, but after Iago convinced him of Desdemona's cheating, he perceived everyone as his enemy because Iago had a great reputation. Whenever Othello looked at Cassio or Desdemona, he always thought of the negative between them. Depending on how persuasive a person is, it can impact how they perceive others. Just like Iago with Othello, he deceived him and he only found out at the end, when it was too late. In Act IV, scene ii, Othello even threw money at Emilia calling her a madam of a brothel. This scene shows how human behavior can be changed in harmful ways middle of paper...... and makes Cassio his own worst enemy within minutes due to how effective the manipulation is towards Othello. based on evidence from the text, Iago caused Othello to perceive everyone differently without any real evidence. This shows how powerful manipulation is when it comes to changing the way people perceive themselves and others. Jealousy and betrayal also played an important role in the play when it came to changing the perception of the characters throughout the play. The handkerchief shows a lot of symbolism as it shows how he manipulated Othello further into believing things that are not true. Manipulating someone will give an individual what they want, but it will cause enormous humiliation and cause individuals to morally degrade. Works Cited Shakespeare, William and Jane Coles. Othello. Cambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 1992. Print.