In the play Othello, by Shakespeare, the character Iago is perceived to be a sinister and wicked individual to readers who have just read the novel. If people give more thought to Iago’s character and the actions that he took in order to attain the things that he wanted, then they can find some admirable traits in him. There is not one character in the novel that is entirely good or entirely bad. Each character is complex in his/her own way.
After reading this Shakespearean work of art, I found that if the reader wanted to find fault in everybody then they could. Does this make the characters villains? Maybe it makes the characters individuals who are subject to certain emotions and problems that up rise and occur during the struggle for power.
From the start of this play, friction between characters was prevalent. What’s a Shakespearean play without conflict of characters? In Act One of Scene One, Othello angered both Iago and Roderigo when a promotion was given to Cassio. In line nine of Act One, Scene One, Iago says, “In personal suit to make me his lieutenant, Off-capp’d to him.” Iago wanted and even pleaded lieutenancy. When the reader learns of that, then the play starts to unfold. From this point on, Iago holds on to his anger and does several things to get back at Othello and everybody who is around him. In lines 36-38 of the same act and scene, Iago states “preferment goes by letter and affection, and not by old gradation, where each second stood heir to the first.” By saying that, Iago showed that he took Othello’s promotion to another person extremely offensive.
Iago brushed the insult off of his shoulders and posed as if he had forgotten about it. He stated, “We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly follow’d” (Act One, Scene One, Lines 44-45). A master was what Iago was determined to be. Iago was the character in the play that held the trust of an abundance of characters. How worthy of the trust was he though? He played games with everybody’s emotions. To a certain extent, the people who put trust into him are at fault also. Iago seldom told people things directly. He spoke of things happening in his dreams or assumptions that he made.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay: Order and Disorder
Order and Disorder in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Order and disorder is a favorite theme of Shakespeare. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream the apparently anarchic tendencies of the young lovers, of the mechanicals-as-actors, and of Puck are restrained by the “sharp Athenian law” and the law of the Palace Wood, by Theseus and Oberon, and their respective consorts. This tension within the world of the play is matched in its construction: in performance it can at times seem riotous and out of control, and yet the structure of the play shows a clear interest in symmetry and patterning.
Confronted by the “sharp” law of Athens, and not wishing to obey it, Lysander thinks of escape. But he has no idea that the wood, which he sees merely as a rendezvous before he and Hermia fly to his aunt, has its own law and ruler. As Theseus is compromised by his own law, so is Oberon. Theseus wishes to overrule Egeus, but knows that his own authority derives from the law, that this cannot be set aside when it does not suit the ruler’s wishes. He does discover a merciful provision of the law which Egeus has overlooked (for Hermia to choose “the livery of a nun”) but hopes to persuade Demetrius to relinquish his claim, insisting that Hermia take time before choosing her fate. The lovers’ difficulties are made clear by the law of Athens, but arise from their own passions: thus, when they enter the woods, they take their problems with them. Oberon is compromised because his quarrel with Titania has caused him and her to neglect their duties: Oberon, who should rule firmly over the entire fairy kingdom cannot rule in his own domestic arrangements. We see how each ruler, in turn, resolves this problem, without further breaking of his law.
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…espeare’s control of the play proper. This is shown both on the small and the large scale. The linguistic variety of the play (see below) and the control of the four narrative strands are such that the play has enjoyed great success in performance. In the wood, Shakespeare will leave a group of characters alone for as long as he needs to, but we never lose touch with their story. It is typical of Shakespeare that the mortals we see first in the wood are Demetrius and Helena; at once the playwright shows us the cause of Demetrius’ rejection of Helena and lets us know that the other pair are also in the wood. We do not need to see Lysander and Hermia before they have lost their way, but we are ready for Puck’s mistake as he seeks one in “Athenian garments”.
Works Cited:
Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. New York: Washington Square Press, 1993.