Shakespeare also uses this animal imagery in other parts of the play to add vulgarity to Iago’s language and therefore creating shock and offence among other characters. In 1.1, Iago tells Brabantio that Othello and Desdemona are ‘making the beast with two backs.’ This metaphor is used to dehumanise Othello and Desdemona and make sex into something animal and lustful, rather than an act of love. This could be an echo of the way that Iago acts purely from desire and feels that sex is a duty or his ‘office’ and that it is something only done out of primitive lust. This metaphor may alternatively be a religious symbol – that Othello is the devil or ‘beast’ and has taken Desdemona from her father. Iago also says ‘the devil will make a grandsire of you’ which supports this way of looking at the quote.
It could be argued that the reason for Iago’s on-going attempt to ruin Othello’s marriage stems from a hidden desire to be close to Othello, not just in his military rank, but sexually. This idea is a main focus in Orson Welles’ film production and is shown through the way that Iago almost tires to entice Othello away from Desdemona. In the soliloquy in 2.1, Iago says he wants ‘to make the moor thank me, love me and reward me for making him egregiously an ass.’ This could demonstrate a longing and a need for Othello’s love and attention, which seems a common theme throughout the play. During this soliloquy, Iago calls Othello by his name for the first time, there is a semantic field of love which is unusual as Iago’s language is usually hateful. He tends to use words such as, ‘vile’, ‘false’, ‘foul’ and ‘uncleanly’. This change in syntax could be because Iago is beginning to accept his feelings, or that he has begun to have stronger feelings about Othello. There is also what seems like vows spoken between the two men such as, in 3.4 were Iago tells Othello ‘I am your own forever.’
Sex seems a focal point within Iago’s language and, according to Pauline Kiernan, all of Shakespeare’s works. Iago says of Cassio ‘Yet again your fingers to your lips? Would they were clyster-pipes for your sake!’ In this quote, Iago likens Cassio’s fingers at the opening of his mouth to ‘clyster-pipes’ used to inject liquid into the opening of the ‘sake’, the bowel. These rectal images are continued, jokingly, with the sound of trumpets just after. These images could be seen as homoerotic and demonstrate Iago’s obsessively sexual mind. This over sexualised way of thinking shows how damaged and tragic Iago is, but is also quite repulsive and may not elicit any sympathy from the audience.
Iago’s soliloquies reveal the twisted way in which he sees characters as objects that he can manipulate and mould for his own advantage. In his first soliloquy, after talking with and supporting Roderigo who wants to drown himself, Iago comments; ‘Thus do I ever make my fool my purse’. This blunt deductive shows how two-faced Iago is, the way he is outwardly kind and friendly to Roderigo, calling him a ‘noble heart’, and then laughs at how easy he is to manipulate. By calling Roderigo a ‘fool’ he could be suggesting that Roderigo is naïve and easily lead, which does seem to be true as it is not till his death that Roderigo sees the way Iago has tricked him into doing what he wants. ‘Fool’ could also be a reference to a kings fool, someone he owns, who will do what he wishes and make him laugh. If it is taken in this sense, it seems that Iago sees himself as a higher person than his ‘fool’ who is simply someone to make him laugh.
Shakespeare employs the noun ‘purse’ repeatedly. This can be interpreted in several different ways. Purse could be a pun for prostitute and so Iago could be saying that Roderigo is something he uses and dominates for his own pleasure and benefit. In this way, it is suggested that Iago views women as objects and as something for men to use. This idea is most obviously supported when Iago claims to Othello in 3.3 that he ‘Who steals my purse steals trash… ‘twas mine ’tis his’. Calling Roderigo his ‘purse’ would be a great insult and, again, show the way Iago feels he is better than Roderigo and uses him. ‘Purse’ could be seen as a symbol of corruption and Iago being two-sided. A main theme in the play is Iago’s falseness, how he makes himself look honest and kind, but has cruel intentions and uses people’s trust in him against them. Shakespeare employs the device of dramatic irony, though the amount of times Iago is called ‘Honest’ by his fellow characters. This definitely confirms the idea that Iago is a villain as it shows the brutal way that he uses other people
Shakespeare’s use of soliloquies in 1.2 and 3.1, undoubtedly establish Iago as a tragic villain. They reveal Iago’s inner most thoughts and feelings; whether they are the dehumanisation of others, a secret homosexual desire or an insight into his true views about people. He is revealed as a villain because of his Machiavellian approach to life. He uses subtle and contrived methods to achieve his goals, which would not have been evident without the soliloquies. Through this device, audience is able to see the marked contrast between his outward presentation which is that of a trustworthy amiable character and his true inner self which is dark, damaged and calculating. The soliloquies also show him to be a tragic figure because of the paranoid and delusional beliefs which he holds. One could question whether he is truly the embodiment of evil or just a damaged and broken individual, whose view of the world and others are distorted by madness.
Anna Goldreich
[1,306]
by
annalisa44 (student)
