Othello 5

Othello 
William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare does a great job of presenting opposing opinions for nearly every decision that must be made in Othello. As Othello and Iago are discussing the murder of Desdemona, they have differing opinions on how she should die. I believe that each way that is proposed is suggestive to the kind of characters that Othello and Iago are. Othello orders Iago to "get me some poison, Iago, this night! I'll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again"(IV.i.188-189). However, Iago advises Othello, "do it not with poison, strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated"(IV.i191-192). Othello wants to kill Desdemona in the least violent way possible because he wants to preserve her beauty even though he believes that she has been dishonest to her. However, Iago wants to draw out the worst in Othello, and everyone else for that matter, so he wants Othello to kill Desdemona in a violent fashion. These two characters are foil characters for a few reasons. They not only have differing views on how to murder someone, but they also have differing views on women. Iago does not trust women and he really does not like women very much. However, Othello truly loved his wife and trusted her until Iago tried to convince Othello that he should be concerned about Desdemona's faithfulness. Both characters have differing values on varying aspects of their lives.