Shakespeare's Othello - Iago Essay

Othello, a tragic play written by William Shakespeare, depicts complicated relationships and imperfection of humanity by inaugurating various characters with unique personality. Specifically, Iago, driven by his avarice and jealousy towards others, plays a manipulative role who exploits the weakness and frailty in the characters around him as he justifies himself of those actions. In fact, Iago’s inability to control his greed, envy and jealousy towards others had implemented him to being a devious individual; his contriving nature had been the substructure to the tragic events that progress throughout the calamitous story. Moreover, Iago specifically shows of how obsessive covetousness had lead himself into irrational behaviors.

The world is full of bad people who get pleasure from hurting others physically and emotionally. They feel the need to use and belittle other people because of their insecurities. In Shakespeare’s Othello, the villain, Iago, is a perfect example. He manifests his goal right from the beginning.

The relationships in Shakespeare’s plays are never simple and even less so when one narrows the field to his tragedies. In the case of Iago and Othello this complicated relationship is made more so by the interwoven theme of appearance verses reality. The idea of Iago, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, fighting both for and against his master that permeates the play. Othello, however, a seasoned warrior being unable to see through the guise is a flaw his companion takes advantage of. Iago’s hatred is the biggest mystery of this play, making the reader wish Shakespeare had written a prequel.

There are many critical interpretations of Iago’s character. Was he a ‘skillful villain’? Or perhaps he was a ‘mysterious creature of unlimited cynicism’? Or was he simply a ‘wronged man’? More sinned against than sinning?

Each situation of manipulation proves Shakespeare’s characterization of Iago. He was an evil antagonist, and would do anything to get to the top. Due

Iago's manipulative nature has a profound effect on the decisions made by other characters in Shakespeare's ‘Othello’. Through his relations with those around him Shakespear characterizes him as a man full of malice, vengeance and dishonesty that is wholly inspired by jealousy. Furthermore it would appear that Iago has an exceptional ability to scheme, a talent which he uses to snake his way into the lives of others and exploit them through their weaknesses. Whether he does this for profit or for pleasure is a separate issue.

In a Shakespearean tragedy, no man is left out in the vicious storyline of fate. Meaning in every situation there must be a character that is fraudulent and misleading. To which this character would tell false lies to hopefully make the plot end in disaster. In the dramatic play Othello, Shakespeare unleashes the tale of an interracial marriage between a Moor (Othello) and a Venetian woman. Which continuously builds on internal dialogue, race, gender, and insinuations the characters placed on one another. Moreover, the characters possessing various kinds of mental disorders was a recurring question within the play’s colloquies. In which added more meaning to the characters mental disorders and how they affected the characters in the play. A mental disorder is known as a health condition that seems to affect mood, thinking, and behavior. To which Iago completely supports this belief. Iago has expressed throughout the play in several cases of possessing a mental disorder. Yet, Iago can be seen presenting certain features of these disorders while interacting with other characters in social settings and in his internal monologue. However, based on these key facts it is clear Iago retains the Antisocial Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Iago is one of the most misunderstood villains in Shakespeare literature. We side with Othello from the start because his name is on the cover of our paperback, we read Othello when learning about heroes, so we expect Iago to be a villain, a ruthless manipulator. We don’t know why, he doesn’t state it plainly or in simple English, so we assume that he’s evil, that he’s just a disgruntled sociopath out to exact his exaggerated revenge on good and noble Othello. Iago’s misunderstood reputation is a result of not truly examining his character, and answering the “why” factor behind his actions. After all, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. His goal in the play was not just to destroy Othello for the fun of it. His objective,

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the antagonist Iago is arguably the most heinous villain in all of literature. His ability to shape shift in and out of character is what makes him unique. His tactics are similar to that of a cold blooded chameleon. Iago’s art of persuasion, his mastery of rhetoric as well as his ability to sense his victims’ insecurities and weaknesses, is what makes him so diabolically ruthless. Throughout the play, one can truly see the power of words and their delivery, and the massive influence that they can have over people. Iago employs charlatan techniques to appeal to his victims’ emotional, logical and ethical weaknesses for his own selfish political gain. Iago’s rhetorical methods entrances many of the key characters and leads them to arrive at the assumptions he wants them to reach. Through these methods, Iago is able to transform Othello from a calm, collected, composed general to an insecure, emotional, and malleable puppet. Through his manipulation of all the key characters, Iago is nonetheless able to remain in favored perception, as he is ironically referred to as “honest Iago”. What makes Iago so intriguing, is his ability to carry out his selfish agenda without being detected. Iago utilizes reverse psychology, indirect insinuations, and explicit imagery to deceive others and force them under his spell. Iago’s intentions are always

“Divinity of hell! When devils will their blackest sins put on, they do suggest at first with heavenly shows, as I do now.”(II, iii, 348) This is the first quote that it is evident Iago is jealous. He is the voice of jealousy in its entirety, giving way to the evil deeds that drive the play. There is a counter argument to the fact whether Iago is truly “evil.”

In Shakespeare’s Four Giants Blanche Coles comments on the mental illness that appears to afflict the despicable Iago:

While reading Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago’s actions, thoughts and overall psyche showed clear signs of psychopathic qualities. This lead me to believe that his “motives” were meaningless justifications for his actions, they were merely rationalisations for those he’s deceived, only used as tools to do so. He commits to his plans and deceptions through his love of the power he can hold over those he manipulates, and when he does succeed in what he set out to do, the evil disposition of Iago’s character comes to fruition. The critical essays by, Fred West, David Stempel, and works by Samuel Coleridge contain a great deal of insight into the mind of Iago, giving both in-depth analysis and a clear understanding of why he set out to commit the atrocities

The most illusive character in all of Shakespeare’s drama, Iago is perhaps the most difficult to explore psychologically for the simple reason that he lacks a personal self. He dons and sheds gender like a closet of clothes, adorning each article as it suits him. Ultimately evolved from the Vice figure of the medieval English morality plays, as Bernard Spivack has convincingly argued, Iago is the Shakespeare’s dramatic and humanistic manifestation of the abstracted evil which governed the dramatic movement of the previous generations of English plays. The self he presents to the world is bound only by circumstance and not by constitution. One key to Iago’s power is his “improvisational ability” (Gutierrez 12). Like the mythical Satan as Prince of Lies, he makes up his fabulous stories as he goes along, playing off of others’ actions and reactions to his ever-spinning web of lies. Iago switches between the facades of emotion easily and fluidly. He admits and affirms his hatred of Othello in the opening lines of the play (I.i.1-9) [All citations are from the Bantam edition.] and reveals his intentions of betraying Othello at his earliest convenience (I.i.44). In the very next scene, not more than 150 lines later, we find Iago in his role as sycophant openly fawning before the

In Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, the antagonist Iago serves as a wicked puppeteer, manipulating the strings of each involved character. His spite and cruelty leads to the tragic downfall of not Othello, Desdamona, Rodrigo, and himself. He looked down on others, especially women, and shaped himself into a cloaked figure who pulled strings for his own gain. Iago proves that when ill will and means to spread it come into contact, misery will follow. Iago is a spiteful, manipulative, and cunning tactician who nearly found a means to reach an end that suited him.

     Iago, the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello, is a round character of great depth and many dimensions. Iago works towards an aim that is constantly changing and becomes progressively more tragic. Yet, at times, "honest" Iago does actually seem honest. This essay will explore the complex character of "honest Iago.