Mock Research Paper Notes
Thesis: Both Othello and Iago were highly respected soldiers at one point, but jealousy warps their sense of
right and wrong, and they end up disgraced. While both men plot revenge and commit murder, what makes
Iago the villain and Othello the tragic hero is that Iago actually enjoys punishing those he thinks have
offended him.
Introductions:
 All information should be relevant.
 Keep it brief. The body of the paper is far more important.
 Establish what needs to be clear before you start your argument.
 You can place your argument in context by mentioning what other critics say.
 Assume your audience has read the play. We do not need a recap of the plot.
Introduction Samples (all go with above thesis):
Since the beginning of time, man has been plagued by jealousy. Jealousy is a theme that can be seen running
through novels and plays from all countries and all times. Shakespeare takes up this theme in Othello. It is a
play about Othello the moor, a good, honest man who is driven to dastardly deeds by Iago, the villain. But
things are not quite that simple.
Although there is some disagreement about the particulars, most critics agree that Othello should generally
be considered a tragic hero. And while scholars may disagree about Iago’s motives, there is general
consensus that he is the play’s villain. What is more rarely acknowledged is how similar these two
characters are, and how thin a line divides hero from villain.
Othello is a play about what jealousy can do to a person. Shakespeare offers us two examples, Iago and
Othello. While at first they seem very different, in order to understand the play’s message, it is important to
recognize their similarities as well.
Body Paragraph 1: Both Iago and Othello were highly respected soldiers once
Topic Sentences:
 Should clearly state what you will prove in this paragraph.
 The claim should be one of the steps in proving your thesis.
 Make sure it covers all of what you will discuss in the paragraph, not just part of it.
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2.
3.
4.
Although seen by many as an outsider of Venetian society, Othello still maintained high respect by others.
Iago and Othello shared a common background once, and they were both highly respected in Venetian society.
Iago and Othello were similar in the regard that both were highly respected soldiers at one point.
During the beginning of the play, or prior, both Othello and Iago have evidence of being highly respected
soldiers.
5. At the beginning of the play, both Iago and Othello are serving in high ranks of the army while being praised for
their merit.
Quotations from the play:
 Should be the best possible quotations to prove your point
 Should tie together in some fashion
 Preferably would each prove something just a little different
1.
2.
3.
4.
“Here comes Brabantio and the valiant moor” (1.3.55)
“Valiant Othello” (1.3.56)
“If virtue no delighted beauty lack, your son-in-law is far more fair than black” (1.3.330-31)
“Is this the noble Moor, whom our full senate call all in all sufficient…He is much changed” (4.1.297302)
5. “Valiant Othello we must straight employ you against the general enemy Ottoman” (1.3.56)
6. Gratiano: “This is Othello’s Ancient, as I take it”
Lodovico: “The same indeed, a very valiant fellow” (5.1.60)
7. “So, please your grace, my ancient. A man he is of honesty and trust. TO his conveyance I assign my
wife…Let it be so.” (1.3.321-327)
8. “Hold, ho! Lieutenant—sir—Montano—Gentlemen—have you forgot all sense of place and duty? Hold,
for shame!...Honest Iago, speak, who began this?” (2.3.137-140, 189-90)
9. Iago is a man of “honesty and trust” (1.3.23)
10. “And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof at Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on [other] grounds” (1.1.30)
11. “Now art thou my lieutenant” (3.5.545)
12. “This fellow’s of exceeding honesty, and knows all [qualities] with a learned spirit” (3.3.299-300)
Body Paragraph 2: Jealousy warps both Iago and Othello
Topic Sentences:
1. Although they were highly respected for their merit, both men fall victim to jealousy, and it
overcomes their good judgment.
2. Second, both Iago and Othello are warped by jealousy.
3. Continuing with the men’s similarities, the respect both men had is deteriorated by their excessive
jealousy, jealousy which alters both men for the worse.
4. Also, many motivations of Iago and Othello derive from the effect of jealousy and how it changes
them.
5. Because Iago and Othello both are very esteemed characters, they are easily susceptible to having
their pride hurt, causing them to be jealous.
Supporting quotations from the play:
1. “Yet that I put the Moor / At least into a jealousy so strong / that judgment cannot cure” (2.1.322-24)
2. “I hate the moor, and it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets” (1.3.429) “I know not if it be true, but for
mere suspicion in that kind” (1.3.430)
3. “As jealous creatures are, it [was] enough to put him to ill thinking” (3.?.28)
4. “Get me some poison Iago, this night. I’ll not expostulate with her in the least.” (4.1.223-24)
5. “But jealous souls will not be answered. They are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are
jealous. Begot upon itself, born upon itself, heaven keep…Othello.” (3.4.180)
6. Othello thinks “bloody thoughts” (3.3.518) and has a desire for “wide revenge” (3.3.500) which differs
from Othello who “is true of mind”(3.4.27) at the beginning.
7. Lodovico says that he was “deceived in [Othello]” (4.1.321) after Othello strikes Desdemona.
8. “Villain, be sure thou prove my love whore!...Thou hadst better been born a dog than answer my waked
wrath.” (3.13.411)
9. “I had rather be a toad and live upon the vapor of a dungeon than keep a corner in the thing I love for
others’ uses.” (3.3.311-14)
10. “O you mortal engines, whose rude throats th’ immortal Jove’s dread clamors counterfeit, Farewell!
Othello’s occupation’s gone!” (3.3.407-09)
11. “How, How?—Let’s see—after some time, to abuse Othello’s ear that [Cassio] is too familiar with
[Othello’s] wife.”
12. “Were I the Moore, I’d not be Iago. In following him, I follow but myself…but I will wear my heart upon
my sleeve for dawes to peck at. I am not what I am.” (1.1.60-72)
13. “O you are well tuned now, but I’ll set down the pegs that make this music, as honest as I am” (2.1.220)
14. “I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets has done my office…Casssio’s a proper
man…after some time to abuse Othello’s [ear] that he is too familiar with his wife” (1.3.430-39)
15. “And my relief must be to loathe her. O curse of marriage, that we can call these delicate creatures ours
and not their appetites.” (3.3.305-10)
16. “I took you for that cunning whore of Venice that married with Othello. You, mistress” (4.2.104-05).
Incorporating Secondary Sources Can:
 Support points of your argument
 Act as a springboard for your ideas, perhaps propelling you to expand or slightly revise their argument
 Provide a counterargument that you will then rebut
Some ideas on how to integrate secondary sources into your argument:
Biggio argues that Iago __________ (citation), and while this is certainly true by the end of the play, it is
not so clear that Iago actually __________ in earlier acts. For example, in his first soliloquy, Iago says…
While Biggio and Bagwell disagree about Iago’s motivations, they both point out that Othello ________
(citation). It is this quality that makes Othello so susceptible to Iago’s manipulation.
Lidge argues that _________ (citation), but he does not take into account Othello’s _________. It is this
_____ on Othello’s part that reveals __________.
Oswalt claims that Othello __________ in Act V (citation). This attitude can also be seen when Othello
__________ earlier in Act II.
Berkman proposes that __________ (citation). This theory, taken together with Ryan’s evidence about
bear baiting in Shakespearian London, suggests that Shakespeare did indeed __________.
Although Ausmus argues __________, he does concede that __________ (citation). However, he is a
little too quick to dismiss__________ , which he sees as only a minor point. In fact, __________ is at the
heart of Shakespeare’s message about jealousy.
While Castro claims that __________ (citation), Othello’s final speech makes it clear that by the end of
the play, __________ is only partially true. In that speech, Othello __________.

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of possibilities. Nor should you see these samples are formulas
that you should imitate word for word. They are just examples to give you a general idea.
Conclusions:
 Don’t just plagiarize your thesis.
 Bring your points together and connect them. Do not just restate them.
 Mention why your argument is important in terms of understanding the play.
Conclusion Samples:
In conclusion, while both Iago and Othello were highly respected military men at one point, jealousy ends up
twisting them and causing them to fall. They are very similar because they both plan to get revenge and kill
people. However, Iago enjoys these things, which makes him the villain, and Othello does not, which makes
him the tragic hero.
Although it seems quite obvious that Iago is the villain of the play and Othello the tragic hero, this
understanding is dangerously oversimplified. The tendency to see the two characters as completely different
obscures the comparisons Shakespeare asks us to make between them. They are both highly respected men
who are ruined by jealousy. They allow the “green-eyed monster” to lead them astray into villainous plots
and murders. When one examines the evidence, the line that divides the two men begins to look very slim
indeed. So perhaps Shakespeare does not want us to see them as simple opposites, as evil Iago and poor,
misguided Othello, but instead as two peas in a pod, two good men turned villains.
At the end of a play, we should always ask ourselves what Shakespeare is trying to say to us. In the case of
Othello, he warns us to beware of that green-eyed monster jealousy. We see his warning not only in what
happens to Othello, but Iago as well. Jealousy and revenge never lead to anything good. They twist and
destroy people, even those who were once good and honest.