Iago realises that if he just tells Othello that Michael Cassio has been sleeping with his wife then he may become suspicious. This is where Iago’s deceiving and manipulating mind works its best. He sets up the fight between Montano and Cassio, which in turn makes Michael loose his job. He then tells Cassio to talk to Desdemona about getting his job back. He does this because he then knows that Desdemona will pester and annoy Othello about giving Cassio his job back, as we see at the start of the scene. Iago knows that this will add to Othello’s suspicions and will make him question their relationship.
When Iago sees them together he tells Othello how he saw Cassio “sneak away so guilty like”. Iago also uses another clever tactic when it comes to Cassio. He pretends that he likes him and does not want to get him into trouble. He puts doubt in Othello’s mind by talking about seeing them together and his flirty nature and then changes his tune and says, “I think that he is honest”. Iago constantly back tracks and switches from attacking Cassio to defending him.
He also relentlessly describes his motives for telling Othello what he has seen. He constantly returns to the fact that he is only revealing these fears is because of his “love” for Othello. It is ironic that these painful, lies and deceit “come from his love”. Iago at one point in this scene even suggests that he may be exaggerating these accusations because he loves him so much. This creates a lot of dramatic irony. It would have annoyed the audience that this fraudulent man is leading Othello blindly astray and slowly wrecking his marriage.
Language is also a key aspect of Iago’s false portrayal of Desdemona. Throughout the scene the words “honest” and “think” are constantly repeated. He does this to put the ideas into Othello’s head so he is persistently questioning his wife’s honesty. Iago’s Machiavellian qualities are also seen when he answers Othello’s questions with another question. This annoys him and builds up his tension levels. It also appears that Iago knows something that he does not want to tell Othello. He also when he talks of Desdemona uses very strong descriptive adjectives such as “rank”, “foul” and “unnatural”. These slight phrases are still in Iago’s clever plan to unhinge the marriage and place doubt in Othello’s mind.
The deceitful character also calls Othello a “cuckold” (the victim of an affair) and says he will be happy once he knows the truth. He also tells his master to be aware of the “green eyed monster”. This is ironic as Iago is the once that is making him jealous and suspect these actions.
“Think” is a very important word in this part of the play. This is because the “moor” now has to think about his relationship and the trust he has for his wife. Iago “thinks” that Cassio is an honest man. Othello “thinks” that Desdemona is an honest woman. All of this thinking and uncertainty unhinges Othello and the rest of the play. It is also ironic that nobody has yet thought about how honest Iago is.
Iago is also very good at exploiting people’s weaknesses. He implies to Othello that “he knows his country” and the people better than he does. He tells of how Desdemona “deceived her father” so much that he believed it was “witchcraft”. Iago is suggesting that Desdemona could quite easily dupe her husband, and he be none the wiser. Othello believes the liar and is “bound to thee for ever”. This short phrase gives us the sense that Othello’s fate is now tragically sealed. This is one of the main turning points of the play. The general now starts to believe Iago and become disheartened. His speech after this short section begins to become diminished and negative.
Emilia also plays a key role in the downfall of Othello’s marriage. She discovers the handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona as a symbol of their love. This is just what Iago needed as this will provide Othello with the evidence that he requires to fully believe him. He then places the proof in “Cassio’s lodgings” to frame him. He then tells Othello how he saw “Cassio wipe his beard with” it. This shows how devious Iago is and how he will turn any situation to his favour.
Overall Iago is brilliant in this scene. This is the scene where he is at the height of his persuasive powers. He manages to skilfully convince Othello, by suggestion and inference, that Desdemona has been unfaithful.
