Is the tragedy solely due to Iago? Is there anything in the characters of Othello and Desdemona that aids Iago's plans? Do you think the play is a tragedy of characters or a symbolic clash of good and evil?

Authors Avatar

Maria Lembeck   12 GM

Is the tragedy solely due to Iago? Is there anything in the characters of Othello and Desdemona that aids Iago’s plans? Do you think the play is a tragedy of characters or a symbolic clash of good and evil?

In Shakespeare’s drama ‘Othello’, the reader is presented a tragedy of characters deeply affected by the clash of good and evil. The evil contained within Othello is by no means magical or mythical yet is represented by the character Iago.

Iago has no conscience, no ability to perform good deeds. He is a psychopath, and is not capable of forming affectionate relationships or feeling guilt and concern over his behaviour. He is “an unbeliever in and denier of all things spiritual, who only acknowledges God, like Satan, to defy him” (William Robertson Turnbull, Othello: A critical Study, 269).

The opposite of Iago is Desdemona, who is described frequently by other characters as “she is divine, the grace of heaven” (Act 2, Scene 1).    

The ultimate defeat of good by the wrath of evil is one of Iago’s motivations. It is not only in his nature of evil, that he succeeds but also in the weaknesses of the other characters.

Iago uses Othello’s weaknesses, especially jealousy and he knows that Othello is a man of integrity and therefore, believes others to be so until proven differently. Moreover has Iago no respect for integrity and consequently, and has no respect for Othello, who he describe as an “ass”, which can “tenderly be led by th’ nose.” (Act 1, Scene 3, 390-393)

Join now!

Othello is also referred to as a “barbarian” by Iago and to a certain extent this is true; he relies on warrior instincts rather than sound reasoning. Iago makes him kill his wife Desdemona and ultimately to commit suicide. We feel sorry with him, because he is not able to detect the deception and evil of Iago. Othello’s central flaw is that he believes that all things are like they seem; he has no suspicion that appearance are deceiving, and this leads to his false conviction of Desdemona and to her downfall- the one truly good natured character in ...

This is a preview of the whole essay