Although scholars have said it before, it is important to emphasize that the beauty of Shakespeare's writing lies in the pretenses of his characters . This becomes evident in Shakespeare's Othello; specifically, in the dialogue of the play's antagonist, Iago. Othello is a tragedy that revolves around Iago's jealousy towards Othello. At first, their relationship seems healthy but constructive, like a successful president and his vice president. After being pushed to the limit – when Iago is not promoted to lieutenant and a rumor speculates that Othello slept with Iago's wife – Iago dedicates his life to ruining Othello's. Iago uses his oratory skills and clever intuition to manipulate each character in the play; in doing so, he is able to subtly command whoever he wants. The result is a major project that decimates an entire society. As relationships are torn apart and lives are lost, Iago's confidence in his abilities grows stronger. Once Iago's plan is complete, Othello asks him why he has "damned his soul." Iago responds astutely: with silence. But, after creating much noise, he ultimately falls silent, not because he is comfortable with the completion of his plan, but rather because he desires a final act of superiority. By leaving his plan unresolved, he does not allow the people of this society to rest, as his actions will haunt them indefinitely. As a result, Iago shifts his strategy from the use of speech to the use of silence in order to displease those who want his answers, leaving them unable to rest.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay From the beginning, Iago specializes in the use of persuasive speech: no one seems to need visual or physical evidence when he assures something. A manifestation of this is his ability to befriend both rivaling parties. By playing them against each other, he is able to fool both people and put himself in a situation where he always wins. This becomes evident in the first two scenes of the play. The play begins with a dialogue between Iago and Roderigo, the second antagonist of the play. Iago assures that he hates Othello, telling Roderigo: "Despise me/If I don't." Three greats of the city,/In personal trial to make me his lieutenant,/With him, and by the faith of man/I know my price, I am not worth a worse place”. Iago tells Roderigo that three big men in town are asking Othello to become lieutenant, but Iago thinks he deserves the position. The true essence of the quote is at the beginning: "Despise me if I don't do it", which translates to hate me if I don't hate it. By clearly stating that he hates the man he should love the most, Iago shows the reader that he is willing to play for both teams. Later, Iago slanders Othello again by telling Brabantio, Desdemona's father, that Othello slept with his daughter, saying: "I am one, sir, who comes to tell you that your daughter and the Moor are now playing the beast with two backs". In doing so, Iago puts Othello under surveillance and sows the seed of Brabantio's madness over his daughter's relationship with a "moor." For Brabantio and Roderigo, this small act further clarifies Iago's hatred of Othello and both now feel that Iago is on their side. This is proven false at the start of the second scene. The scene begins with Iago meeting Othello to inform him that Brabantio is coming for him. He then tells Othello that he was about to kill Brabantio because he "had uttered such a scurvy and provocative term/Against your honor." Othellothen assures Iago that he made a good decision, "It's better this way." Iago is able to persuade Othello that he is on his side by completely lying to him, acting as if he was not the one who warned Brabantio. This places Iago in a privileged position: both parties, Othello and Brabantio, think he is on their side. This shows how much control Iago has over his words. He continues to use this strategy to implement his plan and advance his own agenda. Later, in the first scene of the second act, he sows the first seeds of doubt in Othello's mind by saying: "Tonight the lieutenant watches the guard yard. First I have to tell you this: Desdemona is directly in love with him. Iago begins his plan by promising Othello that his new wife, Desdemona, is in love with one of his best friends, Cassio. Othello falls prey to this argument because Iago promises his love for Othello (which later becomes ironic due to his desire to remove all of Othello's love). Later, Iago uses speech to manipulate Cassio into getting drunk, an act that would later land Cassio in much trouble. He said to Cassio: “If I can attach to him even one cup, / With the one he has already drunk this evening, / He will be as full of quarrels and offenses / Like my dog young mistress. » Deep down, he wants Cassio to act so that Desdemona will attempt to intervene on his behalf, making Othello suspicious of Cassio and Desdemona's relationship. This is yet another example where Iago's verbal skills put him in charge. He can count on making people believe what he wants. The actions that follow amplify Iago's plan and show the reader just how much Iago can dodge, manipulate, and create chaos using his words. This comes to a head after the plan fails: Desdemona and Emilia are killed. In agony, Othello asks Iago why he did it, wondering: "I believe him and I ask your forgiveness./Will you, I pray, demand this half-devil/Why has he thus trapped my soul and my body? . Here, saying, “Why has he thus ensnared my soul and my body?” ", Othello gives Iago a chance to take responsibility for everything he has done. Instead of proudly boasting about ruining Othello's life, he takes a more measured approach and remains silent. To explain his silence, Iago said: “Ask me nothing. What you know, you know / From now on, I will never say another word.” In this quote, Iago tells Othello that he will speak no more of his deed. By using the phrase "What you know, you know", Iago keeps Othello and all of Cyprus in the dark about the reasoning behind his plan. In doing so, he ultimately wins, perpetuating a sense of hopelessness that will haunt all of these characters indefinitely. Regarding Iago, his words have always symbolized power. He knows his words made him what he is, a villain. By choosing to say nothing, he therefore chooses to move from manipulation to cruelty. From then on, his words, or rather his silence, retain their power. Until now, the audience knew exactly what Iago planned to do, but not how it was going to play out. As a reader, we are therefore left with the question of "why" Iago would do this. We are given an escape route out of the twisted world Iago has created and we come together again as helpless members of society, left to wonder how anyone could be so cruel. Shakespeare is trying to show that while a man's cruelty doesn't have to last forever, there is no on/off switch, so to speak. Even though Iago regrets everything he has done, the fact that he did it cannot simply, 55(1), 5–14.