Act 1 is an exceptionally indicative passage of writing in which Shakespeare attempts to divulge the coarse essence of Iago's nature to the audience

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Act 1 is an exceptionally indicative passage of writing in which Shakespeare attempts to divulge the coarse essence of Iago's nature to the audience. Indeed, by the conclusion of line 66 the audience not only understands - in broad terms - Iago's motives and grievances, but also something of the manner in which he intends to consummate vengeance against his ostensible antagonists. Iago's interactions with Roderigo also serve to adumbrate, or perhaps anticipate, his adroit manipulation of those under his sphere of influence throughout the text.

It is a credit to Shakespeare's astuteness that he is able to present the crucial circumstances of the play well before the end of the first act. During the formative stages of Act 1, Iago's argument with Roderigo provides a context for both men's grievances. Initially Roderigo accuses Iago of cheating him, of using his money 'as if the strings [of his purse] were [his]' (I i 3), and only later is Roderigo's obsession with Desdemona (and subsequent dislike of Othello) revealed. Iago uses unambiguous language to describe his grievances, essentially asserting that he was entitled to gain the promotion gifted to Cassio - 'the bookish theoric' - through an act of cronyism whereby Iago had been unjustly overlooked by the corrupt system of promotion whereby 'Preferment goes by letter and affection' (I i 36). Iago later goes on in scene 3 to refer to the possibility that Othello has been intimate with his wife, Emilia, and though he himself is the first to admit that it is a 'mere suspicion', he maintains that it 'Will do as if for surety.' Clearly his willingness to delude himself to serve his own ends is an interesting parallel to his continual manipulations. Regardless, Iago always seems to resonate an air of vacillating yet ever present manipulative control over those around him, a fact demonstrated in his handling of Roderigo; converting him from an angry creditor to a willing accomplice and schemer. Iago is not only able to mollify Roderigo's anger, but also to convince him to 'put money in [his] purse' (I i 330) against any remaining fibres of sense the man has (the aggregate combination of which - in Roderigo's case - would probably constitute a [very] short length of docking rope). In this way - prior even to the first soliloquy (the focus of this commentary) - Shakespeare is able to introduce or even directly refer to most crucial aspects of the text.
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Iago's harangue commencing in line 41 can - with some reservation - be referred to as a soliloquy. While Roderigo is present for the duration, Iago's disclosures seem consistent with his real character - during his dialogues with Roderigo he seems to come closest to revealing his true psyche to another individual. Iago's indifference to Roderigo's presence during these spiels is indicative of the contemptuous disdain he holds for him. Iago has so little respect for the mental faculty and worth of Roderigo as a human being both morally and functionally, that to impart to him the basic ...

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