LODOVICO:
[To Iago] O, Spartan dog,
More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea!
Look on the tragic loading of this bed;
This is thy work: the object poisons sight;
Let it be hid. Gratiano, keep the house,
And seize upon the fortunes of the Moor,
For they succeed on you. To you, lord governor,
Remains the censure of this hellish villain;
The time, the place, the torture: O, enforce it!
Myself will straight abroad: and to the state
This heavy act with heavy heart relate.
(Act 2, sc. 2, lines: 424-435)
Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragedy that perfectly presents the image of the best villain – Iago. Apart from being coldhearted, evil, two-faced, and determined to reach his aim, his most precious characteristic is the use of other people to complete his plans. Iago analyzes the possible emotional reactions of the others and is able to control them. His evil plan leads to the tragic end of the story. Iago successfully manipulates the others and succeeds to ruin their lives, but does not fulfill his dream. Lodovico’s words at the end of the tragedy reveal the cruelty of Iago’s evil actions, the pain that is left, and show that justice wins at the end.
In Lodovico’s final speech Shakespeare uses different literary devices in order to express the unseen brutality of Iago’s plan. The metaphor, “Spartan dog” (Act 5, sc. 2, line: 424), expresses the cruelty of the villain’s character. This expression has a historical connotation. The soldiers of Sparta were emotionless; they were described as the perfect warriors. Spartans were trained since childhood to serve their country and die for it; that is why they showed no weakness, no feelings, and no fears. The battle at the Thermopiles reveales that even outnumbered by thousands of soldiers the Spartan men did not give up. This absolute determination to succeed and their emotionless faces made the Spartans the best illustration of emotionless people like Iago. He is also compared to a dog because he is ready to eliminate everyone that can threaten his success. Another expression shows the evil of Iago: “this heavy act with heavy heart relate.” (Act 5, sc. 2, line: 435). The repetition of the adjective “heavy” expresses the extreme pain that an unseen villain has brought in others’ lives. Lodovico’s final speech reveals the hate that he has towards the emotionless villain Iago.
This servant’s inhumane actions leave sadness that is described in Lodovico’s last words. The numerous sighs expressed in the unlimited sorrow due to the end of the lives of Desdemona and Othello. The young couple commits suicide because of Iago’s numerous lies that inspired jealousy in the Moor. Shakespeare describes this evil feeling as “the green-eyed monster” because it makes person behave irrationally. Iago as a villain, who knows the thoughts and feelings of people, inspires jealousy in Othello and watches his evil plan evolving into a tragic story. The Moor’s jealousy leads to the death bodies covering their marriage bed: “Look on the tragic loading on their bed.” (Act 5, sc. 2, line: 426) The metaphorical verb “loading” shows that the mourning has captured all of their lives and will not go away. The tragic sight of the two dead youths forces Lodovico to say:
This is thy work: the object poisons sight;
Let it be hid
(Act 5, sc. 2, lines: 427-8).
According to him Iago’s actions are so evil and tragic that all people there cannot look at what the villain has done. That is why Lodovico orders Gratiano to hide the dead. The evil servant has brought so much sorrow and pain that the town seems to be poisoned: mourning have captured all of it.
Iago brings sadness with his evil actions; that is why the Venetian gentleman pleads for justice: “O, enforce it!” (Act 5, sc. 2, line: 432). According to him Iago has to receive the punishment that he deserves, so that evil can be stopped. All the exclamation points, the sighs and commas show the strong feelings and emotions that Ludovico feels at that moment of great sorrow. He understands that the great evil cannot be erased or fixed, but he wants law to punish Iago. The final sentence of both Lodovico’s speech and Shakespeare’s tragic play is:
Myself will straight abroad: and to the state
This heavy act with heavy heart relate.
(Act 5, sc. 2, lines: 434-435).
Those words show that the evil doings of Iago make every heart of the state sorrowful. Every citizen will remember the tragic story of Othello and Desdemona and the sentence will show that justice always wins at the end.
Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello shows how a villain, as perfect as Iago, can control and manipulate people in order to ruin their lives and fulfill his own dreams. However, even his evil actions cannot put an end to love and good. Justice punishes evil, and praises good. The true love of Othello and Desdemona survives due to the people that will always remember with great sorrow and admire their noble hearts full of love.
[To Iago] O, Spartan dog,
More fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea!
Look on the tragic loading of this bed;
This is thy work: the object poisons sight;
Let it be hid. Gratiano, keep the house,
And seize upon the fortunes of the Moor,
For they succeed on you. To you, lord governor,
Remains the censure of this hellish villain;
The time, the place, the torture: O, enforce it!
Myself will straight abroad: and to the state
This heavy act with heavy heart relate.
(Act 2, sc. 2, lines: 424-435)
Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragedy that perfectly presents the image of the best villain – Iago. Apart from being coldhearted, evil, two-faced, and determined to reach his aim, his most precious characteristic is the use of other people to complete his plans. Iago analyzes the possible emotional reactions of the others and is able to control them. His evil plan leads to the tragic end of the story. Iago successfully manipulates the others and succeeds to ruin their lives, but does not fulfill his dream. Lodovico’s words at the end of the tragedy reveal the cruelty of Iago’s evil actions, the pain that is left, and show that justice wins at the end.
In Lodovico’s final speech Shakespeare uses different literary devices in order to express the unseen brutality of Iago’s plan. The metaphor, “Spartan dog” (Act 5, sc. 2, line: 424), expresses the cruelty of the villain’s character. This expression has a historical connotation. The soldiers of Sparta were emotionless; they were described as the perfect warriors. Spartans were trained since childhood to serve their country and die for it; that is why they showed no weakness, no feelings, and no fears. The battle at the Thermopiles reveales that even outnumbered by thousands of soldiers the Spartan men did not give up. This absolute determination to succeed and their emotionless faces made the Spartans the best illustration of emotionless people like Iago. He is also compared to a dog because he is ready to eliminate everyone that can threaten his success. Another expression shows the evil of Iago: “this heavy act with heavy heart relate.” (Act 5, sc. 2, line: 435). The repetition of the adjective “heavy” expresses the extreme pain that an unseen villain has brought in others’ lives. Lodovico’s final speech reveals the hate that he has towards the emotionless villain Iago.
This servant’s inhumane actions leave sadness that is described in Lodovico’s last words. The numerous sighs expressed in the unlimited sorrow due to the end of the lives of Desdemona and Othello. The young couple commits suicide because of Iago’s numerous lies that inspired jealousy in the Moor. Shakespeare describes this evil feeling as “the green-eyed monster” because it makes person behave irrationally. Iago as a villain, who knows the thoughts and feelings of people, inspires jealousy in Othello and watches his evil plan evolving into a tragic story. The Moor’s jealousy leads to the death bodies covering their marriage bed: “Look on the tragic loading on their bed.” (Act 5, sc. 2, line: 426) The metaphorical verb “loading” shows that the mourning has captured all of their lives and will not go away. The tragic sight of the two dead youths forces Lodovico to say:
This is thy work: the object poisons sight;
Let it be hid
(Act 5, sc. 2, lines: 427-8).
According to him Iago’s actions are so evil and tragic that all people there cannot look at what the villain has done. That is why Lodovico orders Gratiano to hide the dead. The evil servant has brought so much sorrow and pain that the town seems to be poisoned: mourning have captured all of it.
Iago brings sadness with his evil actions; that is why the Venetian gentleman pleads for justice: “O, enforce it!” (Act 5, sc. 2, line: 432). According to him Iago has to receive the punishment that he deserves, so that evil can be stopped. All the exclamation points, the sighs and commas show the strong feelings and emotions that Ludovico feels at that moment of great sorrow. He understands that the great evil cannot be erased or fixed, but he wants law to punish Iago. The final sentence of both Lodovico’s speech and Shakespeare’s tragic play is:
Myself will straight abroad: and to the state
This heavy act with heavy heart relate.
(Act 5, sc. 2, lines: 434-435).
Those words show that the evil doings of Iago make every heart of the state sorrowful. Every citizen will remember the tragic story of Othello and Desdemona and the sentence will show that justice always wins at the end.
Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello shows how a villain, as perfect as Iago, can control and manipulate people in order to ruin their lives and fulfill his own dreams. However, even his evil actions cannot put an end to love and good. Justice punishes evil, and praises good. The true love of Othello and Desdemona survives due to the people that will always remember with great sorrow and admire their noble hearts full of love.
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