“Cassio’s a proper man: let me see now; to get his place, in double knavery.”
He is suggesting here that he will undermine Cassio’s position so that he will lose his office, but he will also use Cassio in order to bring down Othello by concocting lies “to abuse Othello’s ear.” He acknowledges that Othello “is of a free and open nature that thinks men honest that but seem to be so”. In other words, he is too naïve.
We get Iago’s view of love in the opening lines of his conversation with Roderigo;
“It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of the will.”
From this interpretation, we can tell that he does not believe in love. Therefore nothing he does can involve the feeling. Perhaps this is why he is able to commit such evil deeds, and to spin such a decieptful web, because he had no raw emotion to get in his way. The language he uses is of drowning weak and feeble things, “cats” and “blind puppies”. This shows his weaker side, intimidating those weaker than him.
Iago is very clever in the way that he manages to convince Roderigo that he can still get Desdemona. He questions his manhood. This to a man is an ultimate insult, in an attempt to prove Iago wrong, Roderigo wants to prove him wrong and prove himself. He also tells him to
“follow thou these wars; defeat thy favour with an unsurped beard.”
This could mean to go in disguise, to Cyprus, following Othello and Desdemona, or it could mean metaphorically, to grow up and “become a man.” He also repeats the phrase “Put money in thy purse”. This is also a metaphor for Roderigo to “beef himself up” and “become a man”, as it were. Iago’s language always has two meanings, sometimes with the imagery he uses, but mostly because we, the audience, know he means one thing, and he is talking to another character as though his words have a completely different meaning.
Iago’s language and imagery are very crude. In his statement “if thou canst cuckold him” , he highlights the one biggest fear of men in Elizabethan times, being cuckolded. He puts it into Roderigo’s head that Desdemona does not love Othello, and that it is only a physical relationship, certainly not love. “It was a violent commence”. Iago uses racists imagery a lot. In this conversation he refers to Othello as “the Moor”. He says
”These moors are changeable in their wills.”
Iago’s first direct statement is, “I hate the Moor”. This in itself is a racist comment. The language Iago uses in conversation with Roderigo is encouraging him to be assertive and to stand up for himself. He is also telling him to be patient. Iago’s nature is coming through in his language. He is evil, and manipulative. Through Roderigo’s language, the change in it, and lack of speech during this passage, we can see that he is easily led, and naïve.
Iago’s language changes completely when he is alone on stage and we hear his soliloquy. He speaks in prose, and his language becomes clipped, and to the point. His words are monosyllabic and definite, repeating the phrase, “I hate the Moor.” The tone of the passage changes. It is although Iago is taking off a mask. All of a sudden we learn that he doesn’t really like Roderigo and under normal circumstances wouldn’t be friends with him, thus is using his as his purse. He also reveals the reason he is trying to bring about the downfall of Othello due to rumours he had heard of Othello sleeping with his wife. We learn he is impatient with Roderigo’s foolish, defeatist talk. He reveals that he is selfish and doing this for his own means (L.376-380). We can almost see the way his brain is working. We can see this by his language. He uses repetition a lot. And asks rhetorical questions, which is especially strange to us as he is alone on stage.
Iago reveals that he thinks it will be easy to manipulate Othello, because Othello thinks so highly of him. He turns out to be right. Iago tells us that Othello is honest and open and so expects everyone else to be too.
“The Moor is of a free and open nature, that thinks men honest that seem to be so,
and will as tenderly be led by th’nose as asses are.”
By the end of the soliloquy, Iago has his plan formed in his mind. This formation of a plan is true of human nature. When one is left alone to form a plan, the mind ticks over until the person is completely wrapped up in the idea and will becomes blinded to other people’s feelings. Other people are usually brought into the plan and used to the advantage of the plan maker. The overall tone of the passage gives, to me, an over all theory of human nature, that every man is out for himself. This turns out to be true towards the end of the play when each man gets so wrapped up in his own dilemna that he brings about his own downfall.
The language to Roderigo is persuasive, reinforcing this aspect of his character, where as his words are monosyllabic and definite in his soliloquy. The language is short and to the point. The tone is one of hatred, and the reader can tell he is bitter and twisted about Cassio having his job. The reader can detect hatred in both the language and the tone. The harsh words used to describe his wife indicate his hard character and highlight his complete lack of respect towards women. He has no love or respect for his wife. (L.382). He is persuasive, and manipulative. He manages to change Roderigo’s mind.
The soliloquy ends by him saying
“Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.”
This shows that he is totally evil. He regards this manipulation of people and their lives as a game. Iago is a character whom we are not supposed to like, and this passage depends our dislike for him.