In the view of Samuel Taylor-Coleridge (1790's) Iago demonstrates "motiveless malignity." According to Felicity Currie (1990's) Iago is a discourse representing the views of the Venetian patriarchal state. discuss.

Right from the beginning of the first scene you can experience Iago's view of women as possessions, sub-human beings. This is evident when he says "Thieves, thieves! Look to your daughter and your bags," because from this we can see he views women as objects when he groups them with other inanimate objects or refers to them as food, animals or possessions. I feel his contempt for Othello sprouts not from his motiveless malignity, but from a desire to protect the regular events of Venetian nobility. I feel that Iago sees the relationship between a highly ranked black man, something unusual at the time, and a rebellious young girl, again unusual at the time, as an attack on the normality and serenity of Venetian life. Desdemona presents a powerful challenge to the patriarchal society by running away with the black General. His racist and sometimes shocking remarks such as, "an old black ram is tupping your white ewe" also can be interpreted as being an expression of his opinion of the relationship between Desdemona and Othello as being a relationship between animals and not humans. His disapproval can quite clearly be seen and would match with the disapproval which a typical Jacobean audience have faced with such a dilemma. The language he uses which is eventually picked up by Othello is tabloid language, representing the views of the establishment; this develops further on the idea that Iago is a representative of Venetian patriarchal sentiments.

One could interpret Iago's constantly changing motives for his hate of the love between Othello and Desdemona and others in general as 'motiveless malignity' but I feel that his constantly changing motives show his dedication to the destruction of Othello's and Desdemona's love, it is too threatening on the status quo for it to be tolerated. I interpret it that he is so focused on the destruction, that he is willing to fabricate any kind of reason, no matter how absurd so that he can complete his 'mission', fulfil his purpose. One is led to believe that he first is angry for not being promoted to lieutenant but then he says, "'twixt my sheets, he's done my office" about Othello and then says later, "for I fear Cassio with my night-cap too." His changing motives, one of the signs of a classic comic villain, show he is willing to find any reason that he can so that he can do what he wishes and destroy the marriage. He plans for Othello to think Desdemona is being unfaithful with Cassio and so needs reasons to hurt all three of these people. His planning to do so is shown when he states in his soliloquy at the end of Act II scene I, "That Cassio loves her, [Desdemona] I do well believe't; That she loves him, 'tis apt and of great credit." It seems apparent that Iago feels the marriage is an attack on the harmony of the Patriarchal state and that infidelity is also such an attack, it is up to "honest Iago" to set things straight.

Iago's soliloquies also give evidence for calculated actions or evidence of a plan, he uses them to explain and share his plans with the audience and by doing so makes the audience a part of the play, almost his accomplices and dishes out a sense of responsibility for his actions. If he shows forward planning and calculated, motivated actions in his soliloquies, there is no way that he can be described as motiveless. He shows an obsession with the word 'office' for the description of a variety of things; when he describes his position in the army and when he says about Othello, "he's done my office." His use of language in this way could be leaking some kind of underlying motive to destroy Othello and Desdemona's love, oust him from office where he feels no black man should be and protect the state while at the same time being promoted in rank. His whole plan could be just a desire to be a lieutenant. This is perfectly possible as it would seem right from the beginning he resents Othello for not making him lieutenant and Cassio for being made lieutenant. The tensions between Cassio and Iago are representative of the regional tension which was present between Florence and Venice at the time. Iago as a voice of Venice resents Cassio and Othello and so wishes to destroy them thus protecting the purity of the army.

Other evidence for Iago's motivated actions is his use of Roderigo as some kind of source for funds. His manipulation of Roderigo seems a very calculated and motivated action as it would appear he would need money to carry out his plans. How Iago acts when his plan falls apart at the end of the play shows how calculated his actions were. His fluency of tongue disappears at the end of the play when all the characters realise how dishonest he really was all along until he just gradually stops speaking.

Iago's sudden silence at the end when he exclaims, "from this time forth I never will speak word," could be interpreted as a support of the idea of his inability to explain his motives but I feel that he decides not to speak further as at that point; he has fulfilled all his goals. He has destroyed the relationship between Othello and Desdemona, destroyed Othello's reputation, destroyed two rebellious women and revealed the truth. He has upheld the ideals of the Venetian state as he set out to do and therefore has no other reason to speak. Iago is just the embodiment of the patriarchal politics with the sole purpose to uphold the ideals and nothing else. Iago demonises and destroys what threatens the serenity of Venice and once he has done this, can be silenced and thrown away.