Iago's plan seemed perfect:
Step 1: Obtain income
Step 2: Get someone to kill Cassio
Step 3: Trick Othello into believing his wife was cheating on him with Cassio
Seems simple right? WRONG! Luckily Iago knew how to think on his feet, but in the end there were just too many variables, including his wife. If only Iago had thought a little more about the people involved in his master plan... He might have lived.
It takes guts to do what Iago did in William Shakespeare's Othello, but it takes even more brains. Iago is one of the smartest characters that William Shakespeare ever created. Not only does he devise a plan to move himself up in the ranks to lieutenant, but he also manages to keep all of the people straight and never slips up, that is, until the end of the play.
When the story starts, Iago's plot was to gain the position of lieutenant in Othello's army. The reason he was plotting is because another officer, Cassio, was appointed over him. He plots to kill him and lays out an elaborate plan, but why? Honestly, there are other ways to be promoted: a superior dies, you win a battle, yada yada yada......... Long story short, YOU DON'T HAVE TO KILL TO BE PROMOTED. I mean, could you imagine if we did that nowadays?
Step 1: Obtain income
Step 2: Get someone to kill Cassio
Step 3: Trick Othello into believing his wife was cheating on him with Cassio
Seems simple right? WRONG! Luckily Iago knew how to think on his feet, but in the end there were just too many variables, including his wife. If only Iago had thought a little more about the people involved in his master plan... He might have lived.
It takes guts to do what Iago did in William Shakespeare's Othello, but it takes even more brains. Iago is one of the smartest characters that William Shakespeare ever created. Not only does he devise a plan to move himself up in the ranks to lieutenant, but he also manages to keep all of the people straight and never slips up, that is, until the end of the play.
When the story starts, Iago's plot was to gain the position of lieutenant in Othello's army. The reason he was plotting is because another officer, Cassio, was appointed over him. He plots to kill him and lays out an elaborate plan, but why? Honestly, there are other ways to be promoted: a superior dies, you win a battle, yada yada yada......... Long story short, YOU DON'T HAVE TO KILL TO BE PROMOTED. I mean, could you imagine if we did that nowadays?