Shakespeare has made Cassio superior to Iago in three ways, this has made Iago hate and despise him; Shakespeare brings Iago’s inferiority complex to a simmer when Iago says that he only serves his (in his opinion) unfair officer Othello to serve [his] turn against him. Although Othello seems to have done him the biggest wrong he does not speak of him throughout the play with such spite and venom as he does the other characters. Even though he says later in the play to Roderigo that [he] hates the Moor it is the only time he seems to really allow anger to be shown towards Othello he later contradicts himself by flattering Othello.
“Thee Moor is of a free and open nature.”
Iago doesn’t feel inferior to the fact that Othello’s black even though he does call him a black ram to Brabancio, he also can’t feel that Othello’s education or class has got him his high position as Othello was once a slave and had fought his way up with Iago. This is different from Cassio who had been taught how to be a soldier
“That never set squadron in a field”
I think Shakespeare makes Iago hate Othello due to his contempt for Cassio, as he never had a reason to dislike Othello till Cassio was promoted. Iago seem to be jealous of the close relationship between Cassio and Othello.Iago only mentions [hating] the Moor when he believes that he is sleeping with his wife. Iago has trust and love issues with Emilia and with love in general as he describes it as a permission of the blood and a lust of the will.
When Shakespeare allows Iago to talk of love in a meaningful, ardent way is when Iago speaks of the love of men.
I never found man that knew how to love himself
Iago believes that man should love himself. Is he talking about man as or that a man should love another man? This could pose many more questions on how Shakespeare has presented Iago, having establish that he is sexually insecure with women so what about a man?This view of love between the same sex is further enhanced by the Iago contempt for women where he shows extreme venom for them when he insults womankind in front of Emilia and Desdemona
“Bells in your parlours… housewives in your bed.”
Iago further insults his wife “I fear that Cassio with my nightcap too,” Shakespeare uses this contempt for Emilia as another spiteful thing that Cassio has done to him and top show that Iago thinks of women as slaves to sex.
You rise to play and go to bed to work
Shakespeare further shows that Iago only seems to have feelings towards men by having him tell only one person in the play that he loves him, Othello.
“For loving you to much”
Drawing nearer to Shakespeare’s finale of Iago planning to get Cassio and Desdemona from Othello, Iago says this is the night that either makes me or fordoes me quite. This is showing that if Iago’s plan does not work out like he planned he will physically, emotionally and spiritually die.
Shakespeare tries to outwardly present Iago as an evil spiteful character and slightly underneath all his other characters that are very strong minded sexual characters. If read between the line Iago is a sexually uncertain person who finds strength in slander and having a sense of unfeeling about him makes him seem invincible to the hurt and pain that he will cause. The lack of concrete evidence to why Iago chooses to cause so much heartache, is why he is such an interesting and fascinating character.
