To what extent is Othello's jealousy aroused by Iago's cunning and to what extent by his own temperament?

Authors Avatar

Sebastian Cowan

To what extent is Othello’s jealousy aroused by Iago’s cunning and to what extent by his own temperament?

This Essay is about the mind of Othello, to what extent his jealousy is aroused by Iago’s Cunning and his own temperament.  Othello is one of the great tragedies of Shakespeare and the apex of Shakespeare’s dramatic art.  The play based on opposites and opposition, and the many contradictions in the play are contained by Othello.  

Othello is distinguished from Shakespeare’s other great tragedies by the role of villain Iago, while characters such as the usurper King Claudius in Hamlet are evil, they fail to compare to the diabolical Iago.  Iago essentially writes the main plot, giving first-hand direction to other characters, most notably the noble moor Othello.  Othello and Iago are the two remarkable characters of the play.  Iago is the dominant force using Othello as his victim; Iago causes Othello to see the Infidelity of his beautiful wife Desdemona with his favored lieutenant Michael Cassio.

From the beginning of the play it is clear that Iago dislikes Othello, describing him as proud, pompous and boastful.  Iago’s disrespect for Cassio also shows he feels Othello’s judgment is faulty too.  In act 1 scene 1 Iago stresses that he follows Othello to ‘serve my turn upon him’ and is ‘not what I am’.  In these short quotations Iago admits openly that he is a self-serving deceiver.  Act 1 scene 1 makes out Iago as a powerful and manipulative figure who instigates chaos, proving himself masterful in getting out of and avoiding trouble.

From the opening lines of Act 1 scene 2 we see the deceitful loyalty and indignation of Iago designed to evoke the trust and favour of Othello, while still trying to provoke a reaction from the Moor.  Iago seems to be recounting the events of the previous scene to Othello, emphasizing the insulting way Othello has been spoken of and Brabantio’s negative reaction to his daughter’s marriage.  Othello is unmoved by this, confident that his services to the state, his reputation and his royal breeding will speak for him.  In this scene we see the polar opposites between Othello and Iago; one seeks to resolve conflict while the other revels in it.

In Act 1 scene 3 as Othello is preparing to leave for Cyprus he is warned by Brabantio against trusting Desdemona, saying she has deceived her father and may deceive him in the future.  Othello replies that he trusts his wife’s faith unquestioningly.  In this scene Iago reveals his true motives after persuading Roderigo to pursue Desdemona, saying she will soon look for love elsewhere, he is toying with Roderigo ‘for my sport and profit’ and suspects Othello of cuckolding him: he wants revenge.  This scene is dominated by conflicting views and opinions, comments from Brabantio and Iago suggest that Othello’s marriage will not go as he expects.  In this scene Othello and Desdemona speak strongly of their affection for each other, Desdemona speaking she ‘did love the moor to live with him’.

Join now!

In this scene we see more of the theme of deception.  Iago’s soliloquy suggests that the manipulation of Roderigo and Othello is a prelude to more serious deception; the web Iago is weaving will also trap Desdemona and Cassio.

In Act 2 scene 1 the characters are now isolated in Cyprus, in this new and unfamiliar setting Iago is able to prey on those around him, his cynicism undermines and taints the innocence, relief and joy of the other characters.  Here we see more polar opposites of Othello and Iago, while Othello takes pleasure in his wife’s presence, ...

This is a preview of the whole essay