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Iago's Role in Biblical Allusion in Shakespeare's Othello In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, the playwright connects with his Elizabethan audience by use of various devices, but effectively uses constant biblical allusions, both hidden and overt, to add a framework for the exploration of good versus evil, the descent of Man, and modes of deceit. By examining a few of the Holy Bible's vignettes via three main character archetypes of the hero, the innocent, and Satan, Shakespeare spans the alpha (Adam and Eve in Eden) and omega (the crucifixion of Jesus Christ), in telling the story of the destruction of Othello at the hands of the evil Iago. It takes Shakespeare little time to thrust Iago's character into the first allusion as a character with demonic traits, in his perversion of the Old Testament's Exodus 3:14: "And God answered Moses, I am that I am." Says Iago, in only the 65th line of the play: I am not what I am. . . . (I.1.65) With this statement at the outset of the plot, and Iago's concurrent contention to Roderigo that he despises Othello, the observant member of the audience can discern the guise of Iago as someone much more sinister than a mere man.
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