Topic > The Theme of Betrayal in the Works of William Shakespeare

Loyalty vs BetrayalIf people can be honest and loyal to each other about everything, this is perhaps the greatest key to success. But what if someone put poison in their mind and became suspicious of things without evidence or witnesses? Throughout the entire play "Othello, the Moor of Venice", written by William Shakespeare, every character is betrayed or proven loyal as the manipulations flow caused by a complex antagonist known to be Iago, who uses this technique on Othello for various reasons. Despite this, he ends up betraying all the people closest to him. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin with, Iago's betrayal begins from the beginning to the end of the first act, saying: "So I never make my purse mad. ..I hate the Moor;/ And word goes round that between my sheets/ done my office: I know not whether it be true;/ But I, for mere suspicion in this kind,/ Will do it as if it were sure” (i.3.363-370) Shakespeare can make Iago's motive very unclear, which can be argued that this is a way for Iago to find an excuse to say that he hates Othello due to the suspicion of an affair between him and Emiliano However, the real motive is simply to destroy Othello due to Cassio's promotion as lieutenant in his place.Therefore, Iago treats the characters in the play with a pace that no one seems to know nor the meaning behind his actions other than a trusted man acquaintances, but tends to necessarily find false things and statements that lead to incomprehensible circumstances. For example, when the setting changed from Venice to Cyprus in Act II, Iago decides to use Desdemona to get his revenge on Othello, even though aside from him he "loves [Desdemona] too,/Not from sheer lust.." (ii. 1.263-2640).But the thought of Othello sleeping with Emilia, gnawed at Iago's mind, in which he will not be satisfied until he has equalized with Othello, wife for wife. With the help of a supporting character who is infatuated with Desdemona carrying out her plan as a result, she will have power over Cassio by saying bad things about him to Othello, along with the relationship between him and Desdemona which was known to be false. "That Cassio loves her, I believe it well. / That she loves him, is right and is a great merit.. Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me / For having made him so admirably an ass" (ii. 1.258- 280). Iago's cheating comes later when he gets Cassio drunk and is faced with an unexpected event, at which Montano tries to stop Cassio but instead gets injured. With Othello taking control of the situation, Iago claimed that as he recovered from the pursuit of the Roderigo (whom he did not refer to by name), he heard "clattering and falling of swords, / And Cassio sworn [with Montano] ..for a short- By blow and blow”, or in other words almost killing each other as Othello witnesses the scene (ii.3.211-215). This leads Othello to fall into Iago's trap of softening the story out of sincere affection for Cassio. However, Cassio was dismissed from his service and proceeded to regain his lieutenant with Desdemona's help. By joking ironically about his evil deeds, Iago finds it easier to convince Othello that Cassio and Desdemona's affair is real. Like a true evil genius, Iago continually plays on Othello's fears and reinforces those fears with lies, causing anger and confusion. to him, whereupon he finds himself disliking Desdemona when she defends Cassio's account and initiates conversation during the play. With the disappearance of the handkerchief that Othello had given to Desdemona, it was passed down to various people.