Character Analysis Of Iago In Shakespeare's Othello

Iago claims to “hate the Moor” (Act 1, sc 3, line 368) so he wants to

Critical Analysis of Iago's Soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 3 of Othello by William Shakespeare

To start, Iago uses rhetorical questions favorably to cause Othello to question Desdemona’s love for him. When Othello finishes with “…Than answer my waked wrath!” Iago comes back with

He then later says ‘My Lord you know I love you’. This is one of the

It goes with the low yet angry dark toned language that Iago uses, "Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight" also "In personal suit to make me his lieutenant; off capped to him". He is irritated after not getting the position in the army. While this was all going on Othello and Desdemona were secretly getting married. Roderigo and Iago hear of this news and go straight to Brabantio, Desdemona's father, to wake him and tell him of his daughter's whereabouts. The swearing and shouting by Iago and Roderigo towards Brabantio, would catch the attention of the audience.

In Act I, scene iii, line 319, Iago addresses the issue of love and lust through an extended

Throughout this passage, Iago’s main techniques of deception include lies, syntax and diction, and hoodwinking Othello into thinking his way. By quickly averting his conflict with Othello at the start of the scene, he easily avoids confrontation

reason he "would expend time with such a snipe" is but to use him. He

Othello is the character with whom most of Iago's methods have success. His weakness as a jealous lover is apparent early on, but only after Iago’s has planted the seeds of doubt within his mind. Such is Othello’s trust for Iago that he uses the misnomer of describing Iago as ‘honest Iago’ and irony considering the action held within the play.  The trust is obvious and implicit and thoroughly entrenched within the language. Othello surmises on the aforementioned doubts during the last act of the play when he says;

Trust is fundamental to life, but knowing who to trust can be quite difficult. Having faith in the wrong person could lead to unfortunate outcomes. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, many characters are blinded by Iago’s false personality, causing them to put their trust in someone who eventually makes them feel cheated and betrayed. After reviewing the term sociopath, defined as, “a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behaviour” (English Oxford), one could say that Iago has antisocial personality disorder. The traits Iago displays throughout the play, such as his use of manipulation, his abusive behavior toward others, his lack of remorse, and his deceitfulness make him a true sociopath.

Get me some poison, Iago, this night. I’ll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again. This night, Iago!

Othello, not knowing that Cassio was in fact speaking with Desdemona in hopes of being reinstated as Lieutenant, mistakenly believes that the two are having an affair and that Desdemona has lost her chastity. Iago skillfully capitalizes on the situation by developing his attack further: "She did deceive her father, marrying you" (3.3.220). Othello begins to see Iago's reasoning: if she could deceive her father, she could just as easily deceive her new husband. Once Othello's bliss has been decimated, Iago concentrates on weakening Othello's perception of himself; Iago very carefully and very tactfully chooses words and metaphors that subconsciously pit Othello against the Venetians. Othello begins to perceive himself as an outsider in his own country, "a malignant and turbaned Turk" (5.2.365). A fruitful marriage with a Venetian woman becomes out of the question in Othello's mind. Iago's successful manipulation takes a self-confidant man and reduces him to one at ends with himself and with the woman he loved.

Iago is undoubtably the villian in William Shakespeare's 'Othello', however the reason behind his evil deeds are less clear. There are many possibilities as to why Iago betrayed his superior Othello. Was he simply envious of Othello's status or did Iago plot to destroy Othello for his own enjoyment?

The soliloquies develop Iago’s character as they show another side of Iago that he conceals to the other characters. Iago’s soliloquies expose his plans of deceiving others, his prejudice towards Othello, and his plot to seek revenge on Othello. Iago admits in one of his soliloquies that he manipulates a friend to his advantage, knowing that what he is doing wrong. Iago says “thus do I ever make my fool my purse” implying that he will convince Roderigo that he has a chance with Desdemona. This shows how Iago is a manipulative friend to Roderigo.

The passage from William Shakespeare’s Othello being analysed occurs at the end of Act 1 Scene 3, lines 398-419 – a soliloquy that concludes the first act. As defined by the Oxford Dictionary of English a soliloquy is “an act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play;” and as such is spoken by the solitary secondary character of Iago to the audience as the first soliloquy of the play. Soliloquies are a helpful technique in plays, as they allow the audience to see directly ‘inside’ the mind of a character, which aids in the viewers in understanding the characters, especially one as complex and craftily conniving as Iago.