friendship

            
             Friendship as seen in William Shakespeare's Othello is not always perceived as what it may seem to be. It is portrayed by many forms, but one that that is explicitly shown is the close friendship played between Roderigo and Iago. At a glance, these characters seemed to be friends, but upon closer inspection their friendship is nothing more than an illusion. In truth the reality of their friendship coincides with something else; something in its true form, not friendship. Throughout the play their friendship is sufficiently discussed by William Shakespeare. Another wonderfully written literature, The Song of Roland, discusses friendship between two characters, Roland and Oliver whose friendship is carefully based on trust. And as seen in Don Quixote friendship is important in a relationship between a master and a squire. In each of these works, characters portrayed friendship with unique characteristics that are very distinctive from each other.
             In Othello, friendship is portrayed as relatively a negative aspect. Iago and Roderigo's friendship is based on superficiality. Iago is known as the villain of the play and Roderigo, a suitor of Desdemona. Reading Othello, a person might presume that Iago and Roderigo are friends, but in reality Iago is using him to seek revenge on Othello. Iago's jealousy of power and love consumes him into using his apparent friend for his own personal gain. .
             In friendships, we often realize that there is always a stronger person who uses a weak person as a friend to achieve personal gains. Roderigo can be described as a sheep and Iago as a Shepherd. During conversations between Roderigo and Iago, a person can assume the superiority of Iago based on the amount of lines Iago has and how Roderigo just listens. He does not realize that he is being used by Iago but instead believes he will receive something in return. Roderigo admits he is weaker than everyone and that he has lost all patience and motivation to go on: "not like a hound that hunts almost spent" (2.