allel sentence construction, ending five of his expletives with “put money in thy purse” (III.iii.383-395). Iago’s parallelism reminds Roderigo of the wealth he would gain if he joins Iago, thus morphing him from a miserable state to one of optimism and poise.In contrast to the revitalizing of Roderigo’s emotions, Iago strives at debilitating those of Othello. Iago hints at the suspicion that Cassio and Desdemona are involved in a love affair, but he then goes on to note that he is not completely sure. This causes Othello to further contemplate upon the subject and spark even deeper jealousy. As they converse, Iago repeats, in deceit, that he loves Othello and remains loyal so that Othello will not take him to mistrust, “It were not for your quiet nor your good, nor for my manhood, honesty, and wisdom, to let you know my thoughts” (III.iii.178-180). Iago incorporates parallelism in order to strengthen his argument as he describes himself as a man of honesty and wisdom. He is stating that although he may not be completely sure of his observances, he tells them with wisdom and honesty to a close friend. This blatant lie makes Othello see Iago as a trustworthy man, which only empowers Iago’s clasp on the Moor’s emotions. Othello is unaware that he is being led down a path of unwarranted rage. With the branches of his scheme progressing, Iago maintains a confident composure in his speech. Iago not only employs his speech tactics on others, but on himself as well in order to fortify his self-esteem. While in Cyprus, after observing Cassio and Desdemona interact, Iago states in a soliloquy, “With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio” (II.i.183-184). Here Iago thinks in metaphor to reinforce his belief and motivation in his schemes. He plans to exploit Cassio’s friendly nature towards Desdemona as a web to capture him in. According to Iago...
