What Do Iago's Two Soliloquies Tell Us (the Audience) About His Motives and Character?

Iago presents himself to the world as a faithful and honest man. In fact other people speak of him as “honest Iago”. Beneath the surface of his identity that he portrays to the world is his manipulation through lies. He uses his lies to manipulate other people and desperately wants revenge on Othello. He hates Othello so passionately because he gave the position of lieutenant up to another person instead of him. I think it could also be because of jealousy. I think he’s jealous of Cassio and Othello because later on in the story after he finally becomes lieutenant he brings up another reason to seek revenge on Othello, which was rumors of Othello sleeping with his wife. Iago is good at using people’s weaknesses to manipulate people and persuade

Iago is jealous of Cassio because Cassio received the position of Othello’s Lieutenant, a position which Iago thought he should have won. This is shown throughout the play but an example of this Iago’s soliloquy at the end of Act I Scene 3. “Cassio’s a proper man…To get his place and to plume up my will in double knavery.”

In other words, Cassio is a man who knows as much about war as an old woman does, unless it is what he has read in books. Therefore, Iago finds him hardly qualified for the job he has gained. Iago is also jealous toward Othello because it is rumored that he has slept with his wife Emilia. (Find Quote In Book) Iago now has a motive to make Othello think that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair to get revenge on Othello and achieve his goal. His hatred and jealously toward Othello and Cassio seem to turn Iago, himself into “the green-eyed monster” (III.iii.1203) that leads him down a path of destruction.

Cassio takes Iago’s advice of seeking Desdemona’s help to earn his job and trust with Othello, back. He too refers to Iago as “honest Iago,” (II.iii.355) Cassio places his trust with Iago, while Iago uses this to misrepresent Cassio and Desdemona’s interactions to Othello. Eventually, Othello gives Cassio’s lieutenant position to Iago, but Iago continues to cause more chaos. Hence, Iago was not really jealous of Cassio taking his lieutenant position,

“It is thought abroad that the moor ‘twixt my sheets he’s done my office”/ “For I fear Cassio with my night cap too.” This goes to show that Iago is paranoid and insecure. This insecurity may be the reason he thinks of everyone in a negative light.

Iago is a fictional character in Shakespeare 's Othello. Being the play 's main antagonist, Iago is also the 'Ancient ' of General Othello as well as the husband of Emilia, the handmaiden of Othello 's wife Desdemona. Throughout the play, Iago schemes and plants fake evidence of Desdemona’s “affair” with Cassio, Othello’s righthand man. The question on my mind is, why would Othello do all of this?

From the beginning of the play, Iago is left in displeasure since he was incapable of achieving his endeavour to wind up as a lieutenant and his physical appearance, both in which Cassio has a critical contribution. In any case, what makes Iago desirous to a great degree is the way that Othello elevates

Over the course of the play, Iago offers numerous reasons for him desiring revenge. The first motive is the loss of a promotion to Cassio. “’Tis the curse of service: preferment goes by letter and affection, And not by old gradation,” (I.i.33-35). Iago feels that Cassio was chosen over him because he is more likable instead of earning it like Iago felt he had. Bloom describes this anger in terms of religion. “His religion is war, and his god is Othello, and so his fury when Cassio is preferred to him is the fury of the priest or worshipper who has been found unworthy,” (Bloom). Iago feels that Othello must make amends for his rejection. The next reason he gives is the supposed infidelity of his wife. Iago says “And it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets H’as done my office.” (I.iii.378-379).

In act One, scene one we see Iago's conversation with Roderigo about Cassio being promoted ahead of him and how Iago believes that this is because of favourtism. This suggests one of many reasons why Iago plots against Othello. From this conversation we see that Iago is envious of Cassio being promoted ahead of him, and plotting against Othello as a means of seeeeking revenge. “I follow him to serve my turn upon him”. Iago believes that he

Iago is a man of jealousy, and he is proposing revenge against Cassio and Othello. " He claims both Cassio and Othello have seduced his wife, Emilia, a warm-hearted, simple woman. He proposes, as revenge of wife for wife, to put Othello into such a jealousy as judgement can cure" (Jorgensen 59). "We know therefore from the start why Iago hates Othello . . . " (Modern 3). Iago's hatred for the Moor is deep, and there is apparently reason. The Ten Commandments teach us to love thy neighbor and to not steal. It seems that Othello has in a sense broken both those rules, or at least that is what Iago wants us to believe. By trying to seduce Emilia he is not loving thy neighbor, and he

Iago is a man full selfishness. In the beginning of the novel, he complains to Roderigo that it should have been him being chosen as lieutenant other than Cassio. He goes on by saying how three of Venice’s most important noblemen took their hats off to Othello and asked him humbly to make him his lieutenant. But in the end, Othello refused the man's request and ended up choosing Cassio as the lieutenant. This is when Iago is eager on getting his revenge.

Iago also has his own suspicion that Othello had an affair with Emilia, Iago’s wife, and seeks revenge. Iago’s soliloquy at the end of “till I am even’d with him, wife for wife” (Act 2, Scene 1) has the notion that Iago might sleep with Desdemona so that Othello must feel the same destructive jealousy.

The most obviously and ignorance answer of Iago’s motive in Othello is to seek revenge on Othello and Cassio, because Othello has overlooked Iago for the promotion, and promotes Cassio, a Florentine man with no military experience, to lieutenant. If that is the case, the play should end when Othello promotes Iago to Lieutenant at the end of Act III iii which what Iago wants. But, as a minor suggestion and clue of the plot where Iago plants the seeds of jealously, doubt and suspicion to all the characters, Iago, along with the development of the storyline, unfolds his real motivation-hate where he turns the feeling of jealous, hate and eventually into hate with passion.

Iago states, “That Cassio loves her, I do well believe’t: That she loves him, ’tis apt and of great credit. The Moor — howbeit that I endure him not — Is of a constant, loving, noble nature, And, I dare think, he’ll prove to Desdemona A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too; Not out of absolute lust — though peradventure I stand accountant for as great a sin — But partly led to diet my revenge For that I do suspect the lusty Moor Hath leaped into my seat, the thought whereof Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards, And nothing can, or shall, content my soul Till I am evened with him, wife for wife” (Bevington,2014, Act 2, Scene 1, Lines 277-303). Within this statement, we can see that Iago also shares a love for Desdemona. He makes this clear but at the same time confuses the reader when he points out that his love is not from lust alone. It seems that Iago has a darker plan other than taking Othello’s wife from him. This also presents again how Iago intends to manipulate Othello into believing him to be his true friend when he shows him that his wife has not been faithful to him

Iago expresses his hate for Othello He says: ‘...I do hate him as I do hell pains’. The simile ‘hate’ explains how much Iago loathes Othello. He compared hatred to hell. The modern audience aren’t as affected by the reference to hell, but the Jacobean audience would feel the true extent of Iago’s hatred.