Instead, Iago rather respects those servants who fool their masters and take advantage of trust. The phrase “these fellows have some soul” once again shows the blasphemous nature of Iago; he actually believes that those who fool and deceive are truly alive. The religious notion he uses again establishes his superiority complex
“By Janus… I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at. I am not who I am”
Iago’s reputation as a blasphemer is fully revealed by the interesting notion that he swears by a non-Christian God- Janus is the two-faced Greek God of deception. The imagery used by Iago of “I wear my heart upon my sleeve” establishes his reputation as a deceiver, but together with the implication that he seems to be the human embodiment of Janus allows the audience to see him as the deceiver- truly the main antagonist of the play.
His powers of deception and blasphemy leave no doubt of Iago’s wickedness in the play. For example, it can be seen in the way he speaks about Othello when he is not there;
“I hate the Moor…An old black ram… a Barbary horse…”
And the way he speaks about him when he is there;
“Nay, but he prated, and spoke such scurvy and provoking terms against your honour”
Shakespeare’s use of contrast for when Othello is present or not is obvious- Iago speaks vile words of Othello, but changes to a loyal and honourable servant when Iago is near him committed to protecting Othello’s honour . Even more disturbing is the fact that he dictates conversations when Othello is not present, but speaks only very little when he is, emphasising that he still is subject to Othello. With the audience having heard of his plans of personal glory, we get the sense that sooner or later he will attempt and undermine Othello’s authority- again, hinting on the end of the play.
Iago is established as an incredibly powerful and confident character- he often uses strong imagery-“lined their coats, heart upon my sleeve, like his master’s ass” to drive forward his point. He also dominates the conversation with Roderigo (“Put money in thy purse”) - Roderigo only speaks a few lines, as opposed to Iago’s speeches which are several paragraphs long. This is repeated in scene 3. This gives him power, which conflicts with Othello- the audience can sense that this will eventually result in a confrontation between the two.
Othello is a polar opposite to Iago. While Iago is established to be an evil character, Othello stands for all that is good- He is religious, honest and a compassionate being.
Ironically, Othello is introduced together with Iago. And similarly to Iago, the audience immediately gets a sense of Othello’s character;
“I shall provulgate – I fetch my life and being from men of royal siege… But that I love the gentle Desdemona”
The audience can immediately sense from the style of words Othello uses that he is a soft-spoken and loving man. This is emphasised by the use of long vowels and soft-spoken words. His use of the word “gentle” to describe others not only shows his opinion of his lover- Desdemona- but also of his own character. The complicated words he speaks (“Provulgate, out-tongue”) as well as his status as a royal prince give him a sense of sophistication and confidence.
This sophistication and confidence is further established throughout the rest of act 2. When faced with the Duke’s enquiries, Othello speaks with eloquence and great wit;
“Of moving accidents by flood and field, of hair breadth scapes i’th’imminent deadly breach, of being taken by the insolent foe.”
Again, Othello uses complicated language to put forward his point, and reinforces it by using repetition of “of” as well as alliteration of “flood and field”. This again makes him greatly different from Iago, who uses crude language.
This also shows Othello’s honesty, integrity and transparency- Othello never once speaks falsehood and does not speak lies even when it would be better for him to. However, this puts him at a disadvantage- Othello’s honesty is something Iago can manipulate. Indeed, Iago is one of Othello’s most trusted servants:
“Honest Iago… I prithee, let thy wife attend to her, [Desdemona] and bring her after in the best advantage”
Othello trusts Iago with such a degree that he entrusts his very own wife to him. The irony of Othello using “honest” is great- it is a word Othello should use to describe himself, not his servant. Iago, the eternal deceiver can take advantage of his blind trust, using it against him. Only the audience and Roderigo know of Iago’s wicked intentions, and it creates a sense of dread that such confidence can only lead to disaster.
In act 1, Othello and Iago are established as conflicting characters- opposites in all they stand for. Othello, the black moor is truthful, educated, loving and peaceful, while Iago is a deceptive, crude, destructive and war-loving. Indeed, Shakespeare gives both characters immense power, and presents it to them as it suits their personalities. Othello has a (seemingly) unshakable confidence and eloquence, which allows him to sway and convince almost any character he meets- for example, his courtship of Desdemona and the council with Brabantio and the Duke. Iago uses his skills of deception and manipulation to fool others and play them against each other, as shown through the way he controls Roderigo and has gained the trust of all the characters in the play.
And thus, with such two incredibly powerful and different personages it seems virtually inevitable that they will face each other, in a battle of good against evil, protagonist against antagonist, white against black. The audience will most certainly expect a face-off between the two at the end of the play.
Another important aspect which hints to the end of the play are the attitudes to Othello in Venice. Othello is a black African mercenary living in a white Venetian’s world, and many characters use racists slurs to insult him:
“Sooty bosom… old black ram… Barbary horse…”
These words emphasises the racism that Iago and Roderigo, as well as a few other characters hold for Othello. They despise him, simply for his skin color. The connotations used by these characters imply that Othello is animalistic, a lustful beast who doesn’t understand love. Similarly, they also believe that he carries diseases.
The mistrust against the moor is further shown at how fast Brabantio believed Roderigo- He immediately flew of the handle and almost incoherently accused Othello of bewitching Desdemona;
“She is abused, stol’n from me, and corrupted by spells and medicines bought of mountebanks”
Brabantio is horrified that his daughter has been “stolen” from him by a black man. And even though Brabantio “oft invited” Othello to his house for him to tell stories, he despises the marriage between the two lovers. Indeed, Brabantio even goes so far as to reminisce the fact that he should have married her to Roderigo, who is only physically attracted to Desdemona
Even those characters who do love or like the moor are not unaffected by prejudice. The duke himself, who has a fondness for Othello says “your son is far more fair than black”, while Othello’s lover, Desdemona states that “I saw Othello’s visage in his mind”. This statement by Desdemona is worrying. She certainly loves him, and she implies that she loves his soul as well. But the very fact that she acknowledges that Othello is black shows she knows that there might be a problem. And the audience will realize that this marriage may not be all that loving and without its problems.
All this racism against Othello, whether deliberate or not will certainly erode his resolve and strength. Othello becomes less confident and more unsure of both himself and the loyalty of the people around him. His weakness is what Iago can and will exploit, further hinting at the finale of the play.
Othello’s following statement is very resounding:
“My life upon her faith”
Othello is so trusting of Desdemona that he would die if she betrayed him. This is a very crucial moment in the play, as Iago actually hears it. The audience realizes that if Iago manages to drive a wedge between Desdemona and Othello, and make him believe that she is unloyal to him that Othello will kill himself, thereby completing his revenge. Thus, we see that Iago is likely to attempt and do that.
The first act also establishes the themes of the play. Jealousy plays a large part of it, as Iago is extremely envious of Cassio, who took his rightful position. Revenge is a further factor, since Iago schemes revenge on Cassio and Othello. The theme of conflict is seen, as act 1 takes place in a war-torn era when Venice was at war with the Ottoman Empire. We can see that these themes are not happy ones- they describe negative emotions, and so the audience can predict that the finale will culminate from these emotions, and therefore they would most consider it tragic.
Finally, Iago’s soliloquy offers a chilling introspective on his plans:
“He thinks men honest but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose as asses are”
Iago schemes his plan of destruction and revenge on Othello; he plans to use Othello’s trust in him to take Cassio’s place as lieutenant, and subsequently use him to hint at Othello that Desdemona is unloyal. The setting that Iago is alone and speaking directly to the audience again shows Iago’s domination: he is the only character who has his own soliloquy, and this hints at the fool-proof plan he has made.
The last two lines solidify the sense that Iago’s plan will be successful:
“I have’t. It is engendered Hell and Night
Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light”
The use of inversion of black and white- night and light- is ironic, and offers a contrasted vision of Iago’s plans. This irony is further emphasised by the use of light, which makes it seem like a good plan- which it is, in Iago’s vision.
But most importantly it is the rhyming couplet- Iago’s use of speech for once is not crude- rather it is as sophisticated as Othello’s. This is the only time when Iago speaks in such a way- and its rhyme implies its perfection. The audience, at the end of act one will without a doubt realize that Iago’s plan will work.
It is thus possible to see that act one provides a plethora of hints and visions for the end of the play- it shows us how Iago could possibly exact his revenge on Othello and how others are fooled by him, as well as the end result.
Probably the most important factor in act one which decides on the ending of the play is the establishment of Othello’s and Iago’s contrasting personalities. Shakespeare establishes a definite good side and an evil side with a definite split between the two. Thus, it encourages the notion of a final battle in the end of the play. The audience will expect one of the sides to win- and indeed Iago, the antagonist prevails over Othello.