Blinded by Revenge

Hey world I am back to tell you about a little game I like to call the blame game!  My AP Literature class just finished Shakespeare’s famous play Othello and there was a whole lot of the he said she said game, also known as the blame game. Iago ends up believing that Othello slept with his wife, Emilia causing him to despise the moor (Othello). Then to worsen the situation Othello chooses an old friend as his lieutenant instead of Iago who according to himself rightfully deserved the promotion. Iago was fed up with Othello and decided it would only be fair to get revenge. He produces an extremely evil plan that ends in the deaths of Desdemona, Emilia and Othello. In the end of the play Iago is left with blood on his hands. Thus the question arises, who was to blame Othello or Iago? After concluding reading the play and watching the film the answer is clear, Iago is to blame for the atrocities that take place at the end of the play. Iago was blinded by the revenge he was craving. He put the devious plan in place to purposely ruin Othello and Desdemona’s life. If Iago had truly believed that his wife had been unfaithful he should have confronted her, it takes two to tango. On the contrary, many would argue that it was Othello’s fault that the killings happened. They believe that Othello’s over confident and charming self, is what caused the end of the play. However, Othello did not plan to ruin his and his wife’s lives like Iago did. Although he did plan to kill Desdemona and carried that out, it was under the false pretensions that Othello had planted in his head. Does that then mean it was Othello’s fault for trusting Iago? The answer is no , Othello was wrong in killing Desdemona even though none of this would have occurred if Iago had not started the rumors and had not followed through on his plan. Iago is ultimately the culprit behind every event in the play. He tricks Roderigo into believing that he could help him win Desdemona , only to use him to kill and then kill him in the end to keep quiet. In addition, he turns his wife into an accomplice when she takes Desdemona’s handkerchief for him. Iago uses people until he is done and does not need them anymore and either kills him or turns them against each other. He is a manipulative and very decisive character who only is concerned about himself. In modern society if someone was to murder another person they would not be able to say “someone made them”. The action was completed by someone and they have to face the consequences. In the film during the end of scene five Lodovico (kin of Desdemona’s) forces Iago on his knees at the end of Othello’s bed to show him the result of his plan. On the bed laid; Desdemona, Emilia and Othello. They all could have been spared if Iago had not been caught up in his life and let that aspect and jealously get the best of him. In the play he says to Othello, “O, beware, my lord, of jealously; It is the green eyed monster… (46)” this is ironic because in the end he (Iago) did let jealousy get the best of him. Shakespeare leaves the audience with the lesson that there will always be blame games in life but to look at what actions were carried out and by whom. The situation, the details and the background story do not matter when someone’s life is taken and or destroyed. Iago could have saved himself if only he did not blame every wrong in his life on Othello.