Whilst the play is entitled Othello, Iago is arguably the focus of the play- and thus his malignant influence could be interpreted as a pollutant that distorts Othello from a romantic comedy into a tragedy.

The central plot of the play, Othello’s doubts about Desdemona’s fidelity, could also be found as comedic insofar as the evidence is almost slapstick in its authenticity – the status of the dropped handkerchief as the “ocular proof” of Desdemona’s guilt an almost farcical indication of either Othello’s blindness due to the “green-eyed monster” or Iago’s Machiavellian ability to ‘rewrite’ the play and use this flimsy evidence to exact his revenge on Othello, “wife for wife”. In terms of dramatic effect, it could be argued that the importance of the handkerchief is a negative indictment on Shakespeare – a plot device which requires an overt suspension of disbelief. However, the significance of the handkerchief may not be Shakespeare’s laziness, but evidence of Iago’s power as a “hellish villain”. Whilst it is true that the handkerchief could’ve been potentially comedic, the relationship between tragedy and comedy is firmly severed as the play progresses and Iago’s almost satanic influence as a “demi-devil” begins to pervert even the purest of characters. In particular, Iago’s exploitation of Desdemona is terribly tragic, as he is able to use “her goodness” as a net to “enmesh them all”. In terms of social context, the abuse of Desdemona (whilst shocking for modern audiences) was sadly indicative of the way women were portrayed in Jacobean plays, where they frequently suffer violence and absolve their male murderers of blame. In the words of Leonard Tennenhouse, “in play after play” women would “claim responsibility for their murder”. This is certainly true in ‘Othello’, as Desdemona refuses to blame Othello for her murder, answering with “nobody – I myself” when asked to identify her killer. Whilst some may argue that she should not have defended her murderer, her refusal could be interpreted as evidence that Iago has not managed to pervert her goodness – thus claiming supremacy over him and demonstrating that Iago is not omnipotent. This is not the case for Othello, as Shakespeare uses imagery of poison to indicate that Othello has been corrupted by Iago’s toxic words, “I will pour pestilence into his ears” which eventually influence his mind so much that he first suggests poison when he comes to murder Desdemona.

Despite this poisonous influence, some critics agree with F. R. Leavis’ view that Iago is “merely ancillary”, and that Iago’s poison serves only to evoke Othello’s innate barbarism. This is corroborated by the way Othello’s tragic flaw of pride engulfs his mind, so much so that his fear of cuckoldry sends him into an epileptic fit – a moment of great dramatic effect which is a physical manifestation of Othello’s regression. Furthermore, it could be argued that Othello’s blind trust in “honest Iago” empowers Iago, as Othello is unable to separate war from the Venetian society, and thus grants Iago the status of “ensign” even in the sphere where Iago is inferior to most other characters in the play. A concept indicated by his deferential language when speaking to all but Emilia and Roderigo, his social inferiors, whom he addresses with a coarse vulgarity, “You go to bed to work”. Moreover, Othello allows Iago to dominate their dialogue despite his clear capability to speak in poetic blank verse and the fact he is proven to be a man of reason at the opening of the play. He allows himself to be lured by comments such as “Ha! I like not that” and then allows Iago to speak uninterrupted monologues where he describes Desdemona’s infidelity in an inappropriate, vitriolic way and compares Othello to any common cuckold, “think every fellow that’s but yoked may draw with you”. Ultimately, Othello and Iago both facilitate the tragedy of ‘Othello’, as Othello is prone to tragedy and Iago is the catalyst.

Whilst there are arguably some elements of comedy in ‘Othello’, the malign influence of Iago ultimately perverts the play into a tragedy. However, the role of Othello as the ‘tragic hero’ cannot be understated, and his hubris is undoubtedly a major factor in his downfall. The play is tainted by racial prejudice and the abuse of women, and Iago is instrumental in the poisonous spread of both these themes. As evidenced by the fact he speaks the most lines in ‘Othello’, Iago is undisputedly an integral factor in Othello’s downfall and there is certainly some truth in the claim that he ‘rewrites’ Othello as a tragedy.