Iago's Jealousy Towards Othello

Iago has many reasons to be Jealous of Michael Cassio, he is described as the perfect soldier throughout the book, and not only is Iago furious that Cassio was promoted to lieutenant first, but Iago suspects him, as well as Othello, of having an affair with his wife,

In Othello, Cassio is the first person that Iago becomes jealous of. Cassio gets promoted to lieutenant, which outrages Iago. It is because of this that Iago resents Cassio. Although he hates him, Iago hates himself even more for not being able to secure his spot as lieutenant:

Iago is not the same when he is with Othello but Iago’s character totally changes when he is not with Othello. When Iago finds out that Othello appointed Cassio as his lieutenant, Iago is extremely envious and he plots a plan against Othello by deceiving the trust that they both carry. “I’ll put this pestilence into his ear.” (II.iii.334). This refers to Iago plotting to say his lies to Othello which demonstrates Iago being overwhelmed by jealousy. Iago puts all the falsehood into the general’s ear which becomes easier for him to do as Othello puts his full trust on the rival. Iago is a harsh and a coldblooded man that wants revenge through his master by plotting an atrocious plan and putting all falsehood into his ear just to obtain the higher position.

In Othello, William Shakespeare portrays how Othello is a highly respected figure in Venetian society, but that the racially prejudiced reality he faces threatens to unmask his deepest insecurities. Iago despises Othello due to how he has vastly excelled him in military rank. He desires to reduce Othello’s glittering reputation and love life to dust. He is keenly aware of how Othello has always felt different than everyone else in Venice due to his African background. Othello believes that his relationship with Desdemona will finally allow him to escape his insecurities. However, Iago uses Othello’s greatest strength against him as he allows his love for Desdemona to become his greatest weakness. Iago’s racial prejudice leads him to manipulate

From Hamlet, an ideal prince, and other essays in Shakesperean interpretation: Hamlet; Merchant of Venice; Othello; King Lear by Alexander W. Crawford. Boston R.G. Badger, 1916.

Iago has a fixed mindset. He is a character filled with negativity and holds negative views on Othello that never change, along with his misogynistic views on women. Iago does not make any attempts to try and change his thoughts on Othello, he rather focuses on destroying him. Carol Dweck's expresses that “everyone can change and grow through application and experience.” Iago does not change once seeing Othello’s kind brave nature. (page 52) To further explain Iago responds to Othello's confidence in his honesty, valor, and his future wife by stating “By Janus I think no.”( 1.2,31) He doubts Othello’s confidence and is ready to give up. Iago is supposed to be Othello's trusted adviser, yet he displayed signs of doubt, and hatred towards the man he served. While Iago hates Othello, he also hates Othello’s lieutenant Michael Cassio who was promoted to lieutenant rather than himself. Moreover, Iago was not promoted to be Othello’s lieutenant probably because he gave up too soon, and he hated Cassio for his success. People with a growth mindset celebrate others successes, Iago looks at Cassio’s success as a chance to prove how unfit he is for the

Iago does not follow his own advice because he uses his anger towards Othello for putting Iago third in command as well as Cassio for taking the second position in command. Iago uses his anger to get Roderigo to get Cassio really mad to the point where he’s getting fired. Iago also uses his anger and not his logic to catch Desdemona’s attention to get revenge on Othello. Iago says to Roderigo, “Make Cassio angry somehow, either by speaking too loud, or insulting his military skills, or however else you want.” (page 10). Iago uses anger to get Roderigo to go bother Cassio because Iago wants Cassio to get really mad and make a choice. According to Iago, this will lead to Othello waking up from his honeymoon and firing Cassio for such a disruption.

Over the course of history, many ethnic groups, religions, and people who somehow fall outside the norm garner society’s disrespect. This disrespect ranges from people socially ostracizing these groups to even murdering them due to their differences. Because these differences can put one in a weak position, any form of treating someone discourteously due to an anomaly demonstrates cruelty, especially if they cannot control their diversity. However, people tend to accept a single perspective when learning history. In Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago uses the perspective that Othello has of him as “Honest Iago” in order to deceive him about Othello’s wife sleeping with Cassio. Likewise, when the missionaries arrive in Things Fall Apart by

Originally, he seeks revenge on Cassio for having stolen a position that, in Iago’s mind, was rightfully his. However, as the plot continues, Shakespeare explains that Iago’s initial hatred of the commander was sparked by rumors of Othello sleeping with his wife Emilia. Despite the fact that Iago and Emilia’s relationship extremely differs from that of Othello and Desdemona, Iago is still protective of what belongs to him, even if that entails objectifying his wife. Iago’s tone in this conversation starts off as defensive (with hints of sarcasm as he strongly proclaims the value he places on “honest” men) and withholding, as he often hints to a possibility of Cassio having wronged Othello, yet never explicitly says anything about

The two quote from Othello that stood out the most were, “Iago is most honest”(2.3.7) and “Though I do hate him as I do hell pains, yet for necessity of present life I must show out a flag and sign of love”(1.1.170-75). Othello is known as one of many of Shakespeare’s plays that involve drama, romance and tragedies. The protagonist, Othello has a complex relationship with the antagonist, Iago. Othello, a respectful person who is honest and seems to easily believe others. Whereas, Iago, a selfish person who has no respect for others.

While Iago claims to be carrying out this plan for the sole purpose of Othello’s misery and his own enjoyment, he seems to be also motivated by his envy towards Cassio. While encouraging Roderigo to kill Cassio,after lying about Othello and Desdemona's plans to go to Mauritania once Cassio takes over, Iago steps aside and declares “If Cassio do remain, he hath a daily beauty in his life that makes me ugly” (V i l.19-21). Through this it is clear the Iago despises the lifestyle Cassio has and feels that he can not live up to his full potential with such competition. The first time we meet Iago he rants about his hatred and envy over Cassio being promoted. This anger was the spark that motivated him to fight back. If you look at the line in a literal sense Iago could also be acknowledging his evil nature by saying his constant envy towards Cassio makes that cruel and ugly part of him come to the surface. If Iago received the promotion to lieutenant, he would not be as motivated to ruin Cassio and Othello’s life.

Othello is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous dramas. Othello is called a tragedy and has been a popular play throughout the history of literature and drama. The non-shortened original title of this play is “The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice.” There are several key points of analysis that can be found when reading Othello. These include specific themes, irony, symbolism, and tone. Each of these devices add to the overall meanings in a specific way, Shakespeare placed them within the play for the reader to understand.

In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello, there are two main characters that control the direction of the play. Othello, the protagonist, is a Moor and a general in the Venetian army; and Iago, the antagonist, is Othello’s right hand man but very manipulative and jealous of Othello’s position and status. Iago is similar to Othello, but there are key differences that make Iago the villain and Othello the tragic hero. Their desire for power and control over others, jealousy, and lack of self-control, make the two similar, but the way they act on these traits determines their roles as the villain or the tragic hero.

Iago previously conspired with Roderigo to provoke an altercation from Cassio. A fight ensues, and Othello is awoken to find his lieutenant being drunk and disorderly. Therefore, Othello dismisses Cassio from his position in his army. Later, Iago persuades Cassio into asking Desdemona for help to be reinstated as Othello’s lieutenant. This is part of Iago's diabolical plot to make Othello think that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair because Iago eludes to Othello that the reason she is helping Cassio is that she loves him. Iago makes it apparent that he dislikes Cassio for being promoted instead of him, but he makes another claim in his second soliloquy:

“Jealousy is a killer. Relationships end because of jealous conflicts and people kill other people because they are jealous” (Leahy). The feeling of jealousy is a strong emotion that can intervene with an individual’s mind negatively, not only mentally but physically as well. Othello is a genuine gentleman who loves Desdemona and would do anything for her, but his jealousy through the story begins to transform him into someone he isn’t. Initially, Othello begins to listen to a standard bearer named Iago who fills his head with lies to the point that Othello automatically believes him and jumps to conclusions. Through Iago’s actions and lies Cassio is affected drastically by Othello’s sudden changes due to Iago’s lies about him. Iago resents Cassio because Othello chose Cassio as his lieutenant over him. Throughout the play Cassio is not able to progress because he is completely blinded by the trust he has for Iago, thus, has no idea he is being targeted by Iago. The evil Iago plans to kill two birds with one stone, he intends to destroy Othello’s marriage and ruin Cassio’s reputation in the process. The choices Cassio makes could have probably avoided the loss of his position if he would not have fallen into Iago’s trap.