Othello
Othello is a play written by William Shakespeare, it is a play is about Othello, a general in the army of Vietnam. The play revolves around the lies and pretentiousness of an increasingly cunning character known as Iago .The literary device Shakespeare incorporates into Iago’s speech reinforces Iago’s villainous personality and enables him to make major impacts. Metaphors are used in Iago’s speech to emphasise the crudeness of his phrases. There is also an ironic aspect to certain comments that Iago makes, this irony portrays his false nature. Lastly, Iago uses similes in a convincing manner as to manipulate his victims. The imagery and literary devices compounded with the character of Iago exhibit his villainy in the play.
At the beginning of the play, Iago brings the news of the marriage between Othello and Desdemona to Roderigo. Iago and Roderigo decide to go and visit Desdemona’s father, in order to “plague him with flies”(1.1.73). This imagery is a metaphor that is used to mean that the two characters are going to torment Brabantio with the false news of the elopement of his daughter. Plague in the imagery means to torment or to bring bad news while the use of flies is the bad news that Iago and Roderigo bear. This statement brings out the villainy of Lago in the sense that he likes to torture his fellow characters with the lies he delivers from time to time. As readers the first impression we get is that it is as if Iago finds pleasure in bringing misery to his fellow characters because such news will surely bring misery to Othello and his wife. Another metaphor that describes the villainy of Iago is shown in the statement “Even now, now, very now, an old black rum is tupping your white ewe.” (1.1.95) This language is truly vulgar; “an old black rum” is a repulsive name that Iago uses to call Othello, meaning that Othello is of a different race, and is unclean and therefore he is never supposed to have any relations with the white race. The “white ewe” is in reference to Desdemona. Indeed, the use of such vulgar and dirty language is a clear portrayal of Iago’s villainy. He uses such dirty names to refer to Othello and this reference could suggest that he is racist and this defines his wickedness. He yells this phrase to Brabantio, and this further proves his wickedness, as he lacks the respect that should make him aware that he is not to talk with such vulgarity to his leaders. While still at Desdemona’s home, he says to Brabantio “You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have coursers for cousins and jennets for Germans.”(1.1.116) Barbary is a word that is derived from the word Berbers. The Berbers were individuals who lived in North Africa. The term “nephews” is used to denote grandsons, while coursers are horses that gallop truly fast. Gennets are horses that come from Spain and Germans is used to mean relatives that are dear to the heart. Iago is essentially saying this phrase to Barbrantio to warn him that if he does not act fast, his entire family will be made up of horses. As far as we know Iago has no reason to hate Barbantio thus he has no reason to use such crude language. Therefore this phrase entirely shows that Lago is a bad-willed person who wishes misfortune to individuals who are successful such as Barbantio, just like how he wishes misfortune to fall on Cassio because he was promoted to the job he wanted.
