Duplicitous Characters in Shakespeares Othello :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Duplicitous Characters in Othello Throughout Shakespeare’s play Othello, I’ve noticed that a couple of the characters in the play are duplicitous because they act one way when they are encountered with another person and act differently when the other person isn’t around. A duplicitous person is someone who can act like a friend to your face but when they aren’t around that person they tend to talk behind their backs, and don’t act like a friend. Duplicitous people are fake because you never really know if they are your true friends because friends don’t act like that when you aren’t around them. I don’t think there should be duplicitous people in the world because they are hurtful people. Now that you are familiarized with what a duplicitous person is, it is obvious that a couple of the characters in this play fit that category. Iago is a very duplicitous person. He is a villain and is Othello’s ancient. Iago seems to be everyone’s friend but all he really wants is to hurt and destroy the lives of people. Iago uses both Cassio and Roderigo to help him destroy Othello. From the very beginning Iago dislikes Othello because he gave Cassio the job as a lieutenant instead of him. In Act 1 scene 1 lines 10-27 just states how he dislikes Othello because of what he did. Since Roderigo also dislikes Othello because he had eloped with Desdemona his lover, Iago will use Roderigo to help him get back at Othello. Iago wants to notify Brabantio who is Desdemona’s father of what his daughter has done and he as asked Roderigo to help him. Iago says " Call up her father. Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight, proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen, and though he in a fertile climate dwell, plaque him with flies. Though that his joy be joy, yet throw such changes of vexation on ‘t as it may lose color. (Act 1 scene 1 lines 61-75) Iago is using Roderigo hatred towards Othello to help him notify Brabantio of what is going on between his daughter and Othello, thus causing him to be upset and doing something to Othello. Another thing Iago does to Roderigo is make it seem like he was the only one who told Brabantio about what is going on so Iago wouldn’t get in trouble but Roderigo will.