Medea and Ia
go are also very good at manipulating others to do what they want. Roderigo is easily manipulated by Iago into doing things such as telling Brabantio that Othello and Desdemona eloped and near the end of the play killing Cassio because he is in love with Desdemona. Iago knows this and convinces Roderigo that doing what he says will help him win over Desdemona. Othello is also manipulated by Iago. Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. Othello is so convinced by Iago that he smothers Desdemona in their bed. These are what I think are the main examples of Iago's manipulation in Othello, but there are many more in the play. The fact that Iago has this power to manipulate everyone around him is what I think is the main driving factor of this play.
I was actually thinking about those similarities too when I was reading Othello, especially the way in which Iago would step out and almost talk to the audience so that we knew his intentions but the characters in the play didn't. I think their intentions were a little different though. Medea did this because she was wronged in an inexcusable way. Iago still could have gotten the promotion over time I think, even if it still was a major blow to him that he didn't get it. Both were definitely very vengeful and spiteful and I thought that made the play much more interesting
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