Iago is clearly upset and frustrated by Othello’s choice of lieutenant because he has always been there for Othello and feels like he has been pushed aside.
“And I – God bless the mark – his Moorship’s ancient.”
Iago thinks that he will just be inferior as Othello’s flag carrier.
Roderigo tells Iago that if he were him he would no longer work for Othello, yet Iago has other ideas and wants to continue to work for Othello to get his revenge.
“I follow him to serve my turn upon him.”
Iago talks about the two different kinds of servants; firstly the loyal servants who work hard for very little money, grow old and are sacked and replaced. Iago holds these kinds of people in contempt, he is like the other kind of servants, he is sticking with Othello because he is feathering his own nest, so when he does get the sack he is alright and will be able to lead a comfortable life. This is because loyalty isn’t universal; Iago is only appearing to be loyal; which is part of one of the themes of the play, appearance and deception. None of the characters in the play distrust Iago, he is one of the characters who fools everybody all of the time.
“Others there are who trimmed in forms and visages of duty, keep yet their hearts attending on themselves; and throwing but shows of service on their Lords.”
Iago continues to talk about how those servants who do look out for their own interests and feather their own nests are intelligent and clearly better off for doing so. Iago says that because we are all individuals we can only see things from our own point of view.
“Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago. In following him, I follow but myself.”
He goes onto say that when he does let people see what he is doing he will show all his emotions and then he’ll be vulnerable, therefore to prevent being vulnerable people can never see what he really is.
“I am not what I am”
Iago here is saying that he never is what he appears to be and is therefore contradicting himself.
Then we hear the first of several racial insults towards Othello spoken by Roderigo.
“What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe, If he can carry’t thus!”
Iago knows that he cannot get rid of Othello because the state needs him to lead and win the battle, so he decides that instead he will harass him with petty things and therefore change Othello’s current joy to something less pleasant. Yet when Iago and Roderigo arrive at Brabantio’s house to inform him of his daughter’s marriage to Othello, this being to aggravate Brabantio and get Othello in trouble, Iago only ever speaks from the background. It is after all dark an Iago is ‘in his element’ yet doesn’t want to reveal his identity as it would jeopardise his position if Othello found out it was he whom had told Brabantio of the elopement.
However Iago manages to reduce the act of sexual intercourse to animalistic levels, once again using the colours black and white in a racist manner.
“An old black ram Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise; Awake the snorting citizens with the bell, Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you.”
At first Brabantio is shocked and believes that after being dismissed for not being suitable Roderigo has now come back drunk for another chance. Yet Roderigo speaks in a calm voice to try and make his point and show he is being honest and straightforward.
Iago highlights Brabantio’s self-importance repeating the word ‘you’ and using the idea of horse breeding.
“You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse.”
Brabantio is horrified by this comment and finds it vulgar and asks who is saying these foul words, to which Iago gives a reply yet doesn’t reveal his identity.
“I am one sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.”
This once again is reducing sexual intercourse to animalistic levels and takes all the love and spirituality out of the act. Roderigo says to Brabantio that if he knew about this marriage then he has no right to be angry yet if he didn’t know then he has every right to be angry. He goes on to talk about Othello being a “ lascivious Moor” being unable to control his sexual urges and says how his daughter Desdemona had behaved outrageously and unnaturally with this foreigner who belongs no were.
During Elizabethan times people believed that dreams were kinds of premonitions and Brabantio appears to have had some kind of similar dream and wants torches to be lit for light as he is now serious about what Iago and Roderigo have just told him.
“Give me a taper! Call up all my people! This accident is not unlike my dream.”
With Brabantio wanting light Iago decides to leave as the light would reveal his identity and he would be called to be a witness and Othello would realise it was him who had betrayed him. Iago does realise thought that Othello cannot be sacked because he is needed to protect the empire because there is no one else who is able to repel the invasion.
When Brabantio enters in his nightgown with his servants and torches the light is literal and symbolic to the audience. The forces of light/goodness are finding it difficult to overcome the darkness/evil, its like the darkness is trying to overcome the light and swallow it up. Brabantio realises that what he has been told is true and is not happy because he lives for his daughter, he feels betrayed by Desdemona yet believes if his daughter had done it and appeared so honest then Othello must have used some kind of drug to cart her off, he believes that daughters shouldn’t be trusted by what they are seen doing.
Brabantio shows his prejudice as he speaks to Roderigo even though he had just told Roderigo he didn’t deserve Desdemona.
“Call up my brother. -O would you had had her! -“
He tells Roderigo that he deserves his criticism for treating him so bad when all he was doing was trying to help.
At the end Of Act one we are left with not such a good impression of Othello, he appears to have tricked Desdemona, and be proud, egotistic, bombastic and full of self worth, whereas Iago seems to be deceitful and vengeful yet to everyone else honest and trustful.
