However, sexual revenge should be considered a more substantial motive for Iago’s scheming against Othello. This is first shown during Iago’s soliloquy at the end of Act I.
“It is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets/He’s done my office.”
Iago’s uses his sexual jealousy of Othello to fuel his desire for revenge. He uses his jealousy to get evened with Othello – ‘wife for wife’. Cuckoldry was a prevalent male fear at the time since it implied that a man could not control his wife which is exactly what Iago fears and is so consumed by the idea, even a rumour is good enough proof for him “But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,/Will do as if for surety” , Emilia professes her innocence in Act IV “Some such squire he was that/Turned your wit the seamy side without/And made you to suspect me with the Moor”, which not only hints at a past of marital discord but also displays Emilia’s contempt for such meddling characters.
Throughout the play Iago enjoys plotting revenge against Othello, Desdemona and Cassio. In his first soliloquy Iago relishes the opportunity to inflict misery against other characters, thinking initially of his desire to supplant the new lieutenant:
“To get his place, and to plump up my will/In double knavery. How? How?”
In this soliloquy Iago admits that he would be pleased if he could humiliate Othello. He relishes the challenge of destroying Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. The repetition of “How? How?” indicates his initial formation of the plan to wreck Othello’s life. Harold Bloom supports this image of Iago as “an inventor...an experimenter”. Iago’s constant changing and scheming of his vengeful plan grows throughout the play. Iago’s revenge grows throughout the play; it begins with trying to destroy Cassio “With such a little web as this/I will ensnare as great a fly as Cassio,” but eventually leads to trying to “enmesh them all” in a plot that relies on exploiting virtue – Othello’s “free and open nature”, Cassio’s “daily beauty” and Desdemona’s “goodness”.
Formed carefully, Iago’s plan reveals a Machiavellian intellect, making good use of overheard threats from Brabantio – “Look to her Moor, if thou hast eyes to see, /She has deceived her father, and may thee;” and comments from Othello’s own mouth about his “blood” beginning his “safer guides to rule”.
However, other critics believed that Iago does not have any motives for destroying Othello’s life and as suggested by Coleridge the “motive-hunting of motiveless malignity” is Iago’s mainspring for revenge.
“Demand me nothing. What you know, you know/From this time I never will speak any word.”
Critics such as F.R. Leavis suggested that Iago is a “necessary piece of dramatic mechanism” designed to wreak havoc. Here, since Iago has been found out and his plan is in ruins, he has no more dishonesty to spread and is therefore dramatically irrelevant for the rest of the play. Since Iago’s main function is to spread lies, his usefulness has run out since there are no more lies to spread. In this way Iago is similar to Aaron in “Titus Andronicus” in that they spread havoc for no real purpose, desiring an Old Testament style revenge of equal suffering.
Iago is not the only character in “Othello” to desire revenge. In Act III Othello is manipulated by Iago into thinking that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio.
“She did deceive her father marrying you,”
Shakespeare’s Venetian society is patriarchal and women are seen as possessions and bargaining tools by fathers and husbands. Iago plants seeds of doubts in Othello’s mind about his wife since he believes that if Desdemona was able to go against her father, she would be able to betray Othello. Iago also convinces Othello that Desdemona is capable of having an affair with Cassio since all Venetian women are whores: “In Venice they do let God see the pranks/They dare not show their husbands”. Since Iago is a Venetian, he claims he has a better knowledge of Venetian society and is able to use this against Othello.
Othello having been convinced by Iago that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio, wants revenge on Desdemona and Cassio: His language, once so measured and poetic, is reduced to barbaric violence:
“I’ll tear her all to pieces.”
Othello’s change of language style emphasizes his fall from grace. Initially florid and prosaic “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust/them” his language is now monosyllabic and violent. This represents Iago’s control over Othello , expanding to the point where Othello is completely controlled by Iago: “I am bound to thee forever”.
Othello’s vengeance against Desdemona in Act III starts the dramatic reversal of fortune for him. Iago remarks that after Othello suspects Desdemona of having the affair, he will never be the same again:
“Nor poppy, nor mandragora/Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep/Which thou owedst yesterday”
Iago’s use of considered, lyrical language here ironically parodies Othello’s usual language and emphasizes that Iago is in complete control of him. Yet again, Iago again uses the image of drugs, medicine and poison to illustrate the power of jealousy on the peace of mind. The audience, watching Othello’s dramatic reversal of fortune would experience pity and fear for him, since he is suffering from a false need for vengeance.
Before killing Desdemona Othello emphasizes that he is not killing Desdemona out of revenge for her supposed affair, but because it is “the cause” – it is fair and just that Desdemona should die.
“She must die, else she’ll betray more men.”
Here, Othello tries to justify his intended murder of Desdemona by asserting that unless she is stopped, she will betray more lovers . He presents himself as an executioner through the use of grim language “It is the cause, it is the cause”. Othello sees the murder of Desdemona has carrying out a judicial sentence. He uses ambiguity since “cause” meant legal case as well as reason. Othello further enhances the judicial language by personifying himself as Justice “That doth almost persuade Justice to break her sword”. However, critics criticized the assertation that Othello is a just executioner since the real reason for Othello’s murder is to get revenge on her for sleeping with Cassio. He simply invents the justice reasoning to make himself appear nobler.
After having killed Desdemona and discovered that she was not having an affair, Othello then has to avenge Desdemona’s death by killing himself. Othello also insists that he did not murder Desdemona out of revenge, but out of love.
“Of one that loved not wisely, but too well”
Ironically, Othello can only avenge Desdemona’s violent death by his own violent death. He insists that he did not murder Desdemona out of revenge, but because she was supposedly in love with Cassio, and he wanted her for himself. However, T.S. Elliot criticizes this view, questioning whether Othello had really learnt from the events. He believed that Othello was simply “cheering himself up” by insisting that he didn’t murder out of revenge, but out of love.
In conclusion, despite his protestations, Othello does murder Desdemona out of revenge against her supposed affair and, with the discovery of the handkerchief, violently kills himself. However Iago’s primary motive isn’t revenge since Iago’s main role is to play the tragic villain and doesn’t need a motive to ruin people’s lives.
Bibliography
Shakespeare, William: Othello – Heinemann Advanced Shakespeare, Heinemann 2000
Bloom, Harold: Shakespeare; “The Invention of the Human”, Fourth Estate Ltd. 1999
Coleridge S.T.: “Marginalia on Othello” and “Report of a Lecture at Bristol (November 1813)’
Eliot, T.S.: “Shakespeare and the Stoicism of Seneca” in Selected Essays, Faber and Faber Ltd. 1932
Leavis F.R. “Diabolic Intellect and the Noble Hero” in “The Common Pursuit” , Chatto & Windus, 1952
