Romeo and Juliet Vs. Othello

The play Romeo and Juliet portrays a certain type of evil in the two main characters; Romeo and Juliet. It is known that this play is some sort of romantic love story, the main idea is not about love, it is about dishonesty. The two families, the Capulets and the Montagues, loth each other and are against having any type of relations with the other. Romeo did not comply to any if the family’s wishes when he snuck into the Capulets ball to see Rosaline, and that is the first time he laid eyes on Juliet and fell in love with her.

They continued to spend hours talking and decided they would get married the next day even if it was not in their parents best interests. But even after just marrying Juliet, Romeo betrayed her by killing her cousin Tybalt. Lady Capulet demanded Romeo is to be killed, but instead he is banished from Verona by the Prince. Romeo claims that is worse than death, because he would have to live without Juliet.

‘And for that offence, Immediately we do exile him hence. I have an interest in your hate’s proceeding: My blood for your rude brawls doth lie a-bleeding’

(Act 3, Scene 1, Lines 196-199). Going against the wishes of those that are close to you could potentially lead to a great deal of damage. There are many more examples of betrayal in this play, because the storyline is basically shaped around that theme. But the ultimate betrayal is at the end, when they both conduct a plan that would allow them to be together forever and away from their families who were trying to keep them apart. The plan was to give Juliet a sleeping potion, and let her family find he body. She would then be placed in the family tomb and Romeo and another character, Friar Laurence, would be there to see her awake. But the plan is not executed perfectly and this results in Romeo killing himself next to her while she is under the influence of the potion, so he could be with her in death. And then she wakes up up find him dead beside her and kills herself too. This is the greatest example of evil throughout the play because they are so selfish that they betray their families and sometimes even each other, in order to be together when they were not allowed to be.

The play Othello portrays evil in the character Iago, who manipulates Othello successfully. His only motive for his malicious acts is his enjoyment of destruction. Destroying is his passion. He has some extra help from Roderigo, who he assists him in his plan. Iago makes Roderico mistakenly believe that after Othello is gone, he will help him get Othello’s wife, Desdemona. He is very successful with his schemes and is able to get everyone around him’s trust, which is part of the reason why his plans work out. He supposedly has all the answers to people’s problems; he tells everyone that he can give advice and help them, which is another way he tried to hide his real intentions. Since the people thought he was genuinely trying to help, they often called him ‘Honest Iago’. Iago gives them a false sense of security and hope, even though the audience knows exactly what his true intentions are. Not only is he careless of others, but he uses their pain and misfortune to his advantage, ‘Thus I do ever make my fool my purse,’ (Act I, Scene III, Line 320). Iago uses people to get farther along with his plan. ‘Whether he kill Cassio, or Cassio him, or each do kill the other, everyday makes my gain,’ (Act V, Scene III, Line 13). Shakespeare uses asides to show Iago plotting his evil plan, and his ability to manipulate situations. He plays with their heads for his own gain, and plays games, intentionally altering their trust to get what he wants. Iago is the evil that ultimately ends up leading Othello to a tragic life and the murder of his own wife. Although he is portrayed to be ‘evil,’ he could also be seen as a man seeking revenge on someone who he thinks slept with his wife. But still, many times Iago is referred to as the devil in the play, which helps set the satanic image for the audience. His evil attributes are enhanced as the play goes on, he shows a larger level of

ruthlessness and does not let anything disrupt his plan. He only worried about himself and clearly does not care about anyone else, not even for his own wife, who he himself kills in order to avoid being discovered. In the final scene it becomes clear to the other characters in the play what he has done. Even though his evil plans are revealed to everyone, he continues to tell Rodergio to be like him and to be full of himself and do things only that will benefit him. This is an example of how there is a distinguishing difference between the characters who are good versus those who are evil.