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 the play.
But Iago knows not only that Othello is deceived easily by appearances, but also that Othello is convinced of Iago’s honesty. This knowledge defines and determines the relationship between them.
Iago takes things, which most of us would see as good and uses those traits against them. One example is that Iago uses Othello’s trustfulness and integrity. Iago knows that Othello already trusts him. Iago will play an honest man, who is loyal and loves his general. If this is the case, why should Othello doubt Iago’s ‘honest’ words?
And even if Othello questions him, Iago’s quick wits keep him uncovered by weaving all his lies together.
Like in Act 3 Scene 3, when Othello curses Iago, if his suspicions are without foundation. Iago quick protests that he was only acting as a friend and wanted to be honest. Because he asks Othello what proofs he requires of his wife’s infidelity Iago changes the subject, without Othello noticing it.
There is a contrast in the play, when the scene moves from Venice to Cyprus. Venice could be associated with the good or specifically Desdemona, and could be linked with the evil in Iago. Desdemona ha s been taken from her peacefulness and Iago commits his largest acts of deceit in Cyprus.
Iago is encouraging Othello’s jealousy so far, that Othello finally commits his first act of violence against Desdemona by hitting her. This shows Othello’s other tragic flaw. He made himself susceptible to Iago and the jealousy within him begins to lead to the demise of others. Othello has isolated himself from everyone else except Iago, by his actions.
Iago uses the other characters to work straight towards his aims. Because of this, he can maintain his supposed ignorance about the events going on and still work his scheming ways.
Desdemona wants to be loved and acknowledged by her husband. She could not control her feelings of insignificance. She is striving to be the best wife that she could be and feels that her role as a wife is being threatened. This desire by Desdemona to please her husband can also be attributed to her intelligence and liberation. She does not merely listen to Othello’s accusations, but instead tries to explain her situation. She could have very easily let Othello control her but she made her point known and told the truth about her circumstance. Desdemona, just before her death, challenges Othello as she had challenged her father and defends herself with the same straightforward precision she used before the Senate:
And have you mercy too! I never did
Offend you in my life; never loved Cassio
But with such a general warranty of heaven
As I might love; I never gave him token.
(Act 5, Scene 2, 58-61)
Desdemona was constantly striving for her voice to be heard and she demonstrated her intellect through word and deed. Unfortunately, Desdemona’s desire for her voice to be heard, fed into Iago’s plan of deception.
Both Desdemona and Othello were under the impression that Iago was an honest man. Thus, when Othello accused Desdemona of adultery, she went to Iago for help. Naturally Iago, who put the idea of adultery in Othello’s head, told Desdemona that Othello was troubled by business with the state. In this way Iago avoided the revealing of his manipulation. To Desdemona he appeared to be comforting and supporting in her time of confusion. To Othello, Iago had the appearance of a loyal servant by informing him of Desdemona’s “affair.”
Even in her death, Desdemona proved her liberation by showing that she controlled her own desires. Unfortunately Desdemona, by destroying the gender barriers, sealed her own fate. Because the men of Venice were unable to comprehend Desdemona’s self-control, her death was inevitable. Othello realized that Desdemona’s body and mind were her own domain. By taking charge of her own destiny, Desdemona revealed to Othello that he was destined to lose control. Forced to deal with Desdemona’s rebelliousness and the pressures of Iago, Othello murdered his wife. Sadly, the ultimate price that Desdemona had to pay for her liberation was death.
So finally Desdemona, representative of goodness and heaven, is murdered by her husband and blames her death on herself.
Iago’s big mistake was that he trusted his wife Emilia, who finally revealed his plot. Although not completely victorious at the end of the play, Iago does successfully eliminate the one character representative of heaven, innocence, and honesty. Yet "remains the censure of this hellish villian" (Act 5, Scene 2).
Finally, everything Iago pretended to be led to his demise: Honesty, Innocence, and Love.
Iago is a villain, a demi-devil who loves evil and follows ‘divinity of hell’. He represents the mystery of iniquity, the more baffling because he seems to everyone except Roderigo to be an honest man. He makes Desdemona and Cassio, as well as Othello, believe that he is a plain, blunt and outspoken man, incapable of deception. That’s why Iago cannot be the only one to be blamed. If Othello has a bit more confidence in his wife, and has Desdemona not lied about the handkerchief: “It [the handkerchief] is not lost … “(Act 3 Scene 4), the play would maybe have a different ending.