Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Irony is cool

In Act II of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare, I noticed multiple examples of irony.  Most of this irony stems from the fact that the play is told mostly from the point of view of Iago, the villain of the story.  Because Iago has evil plans which he shares with the audience, the reader of the play knows many details which other characters do not.  In fact, because Iago is cunning, many other characters think he is honest.  "Honest Iago" is an epithet used throughout the play.  An example of this dramatic iron is in Act II, scene 3.  Cassio says "Good night, honest Iago (II.iii.300)."  This is so ironic because Iago has just tricked him into getting drunk, fighting, and losing his reputation, but Cassio is clueless.  He thinks Iago is on his side.  I'm sure this sort of deception will cause dramatic irony in the rest of the play.

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