This is where we witness Iago's first soliloquy. He takes about his hatred for Othello - 'Though I do hate him as I do hell's pains yet ... for necessity of present life, I must show out a flag and sign of love, Which is indeed but sign.' Here he talks about his hatred for Othello is based on jealousy and that he is putting on an act for the sake of his plans '...for necessity of present life, I must show out a flag...'. 'I hate the Moor: And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt ... my sheets He has done my office: I know not if't be true; But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety.' In this quote he is suspecting Othello had have sex with his wife, Emillia, this he gives as another reason to hate the moor. Another reason for loathing Othello, was that he gave the promotion to leiutenant to Cassio instead of him. '...That never set a squadron in the field, Nor the division of a battle knows More than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric...' Here he is critising that Cassio knows merely as much about tatics than him because he has hardly any field experience and only learnt from books. He gives us a brief description of his plans in this quote 'Till I am evened with him, wife for wife, Or, failing so, yet that I put the Moor At least into a jealousy so strong That judgment cannot cure.' He is saying that unless he is evened with him, he will put him into a jealousy so strong that he cannot find the difference between right and wrong.
When they arrived, good news came - The Turks are all drowned at sea. So while they stay at Cryprus, Iago's plans begins to take place. Firstly he is jealous of Cassio promoted to his lieutient so he plans to make Cassio demoted. So he told Roderigo to go and angered him - 'How now, Roderigo? I pray you after the lieutenant, go'. After he insisted in him drinking some wine before his shift, although Cassio said 'I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking' he kept persisting, and eventually he drank some wine, and lead him to fight with a resident on Cryprus. This lead to Othello demoting him. Iago now pretends to defend him 'Touch me not so near: I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth Than it should do offense to Michael Cassio...' He is saying that he will never say anything that can harm Cassio. And believing Iago is a good friend that will never betrays him he is 'Honest Iago'. Iago then gives him advice to get his job back, ' I'll tell you what you shall do. Our general's wife is now the general. I may say so in this respect, for that he hath devoted and given up himself to the contemplation, mark, and denotement of her parts and graces. Confess yourself freely to her; importune her help to put you in your place again. She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more than she is requested.' - speak with Desdemona because she is the general's wife ad she can change his opinions. But secretly he wanted the Moor to think they are having a affair. He reguarly goes and sees Desdemona who pleads infront of Othello about all the good things Cassio is. Meanwhile Iago puts in hints that Desdemona is having a affiar with Cassio. 'Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father, and may thee.' Brabantio is saying that if she can deceive her father, theres a chance she will deceive him too. Othello after hearing Iago say Cassio said “Sweet Desdemona, Let us be wary, let us hide our loves”, “O sweet creature!” and “Cursed fate that gave thee to the Moor!” he wanted Iago to give him evidence, so Iago begins his plot in the handkercheif. So he ordered Emillia to steal Desdemona's most precious handkercheif for him, she did not question him why, instead did as she was told because women in the Elizabethian times were made to obey their husbands. And Iago planted the handkerchief in Cassio's lodgings which he found and gave to Bianca. 'Trifles light as air Are to the jealous confirmations strong As proofs of holy writ: this may do something' He is saying that jealousy alone is enough to feul Othello's hatred towards Desdemona, and that seeing the handkercheif in another man's possession will be solid proof to Othello even though it is 'trifle light as air' and 'as proofs of 'holy writ' will ensure Othello Desdemona's cheating on him. 'O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.' this quote is warning Othello not to be jealous which Iago know will make Othello even more jealous, and to make this method more effective he has a contrasting quote 'But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!' He enrages Othello even more by saying 'Poor and content is rich and rich enough.', telling him to be content, but knowing he will never be content after losing the love from Desdemona.
Iago is now half way through his plan. 'The Moor already changes with my poison. Dangerous conceits are, in ... their natures, poisons. Which at the first are scarce found to distaste, But with a little act upon the blood. Burn like the mines of Sulphur. I did say so: Look, where he comes! Not poppy, nor mandragora, Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world, Shall evermedicine thee to that sweet sleep Which thou owedst yesterday.' Here he is saying that he never known jealously to be so strong and powerful, one that can posions peoples mind, he has suggested to the Moor that his wife is unchaste to him.
'O curse of marriage, That we can call these delicate creatures ours, And not their appetites! I had rather be a toad, And live upon the vapour of a dungeon, Than keep a corner in the thing I love For others' uses.' Here Othello is sinking deeper into jealousy. And '...a very valliant fellow...' is what people thinks of Iago now. Now beyond furious with Desdemona Othello slaps her publically while calling her a 'whore' and accusing her of infidelity. Throughout the play Othello has suspected Desdemona having an affair with Cassio after Iago posions his mind with the doubt. 'Framed to make women false.' Here Iago is saying Cassio is dashing and charming and that hes the kind of man that can persuade women from thier own husbands. And another quote is refering that Othello isn't as 'young' and 'dashing' as Cassio as he is approaching the age of 35 'I am declined Into the vale of years.' After this Desdemona's and Othello relationship have deteriorated from the beginning ith less lust between them and more rows.
But eventually Othello ordered the death of Cassio and Desdemona. Cassio was injured when Roderigo, under Iago's command tried to kill Cassio. Othello: 'Get me some poison, Iago; this night: I'll not expostulate ... with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again: this night, Iago.' Iago: 'Do it not with poison, strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated.' Othello: 'Good, good: the justice of it pleases: very good.' But instead, Desdemona died being stifled. 'Ay, let her rot, and perish, and be damned to-night; for ... she shall not live: no, my heart is turned to stone; I strike it, and it hurts my hand. O, the world hath not a sweeter creature: she might lie by an emperor's side and command him tasks' Othello describes his hate towards Desdemona, but now he relises he loved her and that her ceasing to exist isn't worth for him to be alive. 'But yet the pity of it, Iago! O Iago, the pity of it, Iago!' Having killing Desdemona he now mourns her death. Emillia now then comes in and discovered the death of her lady. 'O Heaven, that such companions thou'ldst unfold, And put in every honest hand a whip To lash the rascals naked through the world!' Emillia suspects someone has posioned Othello's mind, when Othello said that she has being giving someone eles the handkercheif he gave her Emillia said the truth of how she took it from her and gaviven it to Iago. Take note, take note, O world, To be direct and honest is not safe.' Othello now has black hatred welled up against Iago, and faces the psychological consequences of what he has done; 'I am not valiant neither, But every puny whipster gets my sword: But why should honor outlive honesty? Let it go all.' He then explains how he once killed a traitor admist his army 'I took by the throat the circumcised dog, And smote him, thus.' and he stabs himself with another weapon. 'I kiss'd thee ere I kill'd thee: no way but this; Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.' speaking to the corpse of Desdemona Othello lie by her side and dies.
One of the most intriguing characters in the tragic play "Othello," by William Shakespeare, is Othello's "friend" Iago. At first glance, Iago seems to have no motive for the destruction he is causing. However, despite Iago's unquestionable malignancy, the motivation behind his actions lie more in Iago's quest for personal gain, as opposed to just being evil. In order to achieve his personal gain Iago manipulates Rodrigo, Cassio and, most importantly, Othello. Iago's main interest is the destruction of Othello. The reason being that Othello has chosen another man, Cassio, as his second-in-command, preferring him to Iago. This resentment, accompanied by Iago's accusations that he is sleeping with his wife, cause Iago to despise Othello, and shortly thereafter, begin to conspire against him. Instead of just killing Othello, Iago proceeds to attack him emotionally. Iago begins to manipulate the people around him in order to hurt Othello and make him think that his wife, Desdimona, and Cassio are having an affair. This main role in the play is to create chaos and pain. He emotionally attacks everyone that he can manipulate and using them to attack Othello.
We would know that Iago is a villian at the start of the play, '"So will I turn her virtue into pitch, And out of her own goodness make the net That shall enmesh them all." this shows his malignity, his betrayal against Othello by informing Brabantio that a 'black ram is tuffing his white ewe' and with any self-respecting machiavellian character, Iago is chiefly motivated by ambition. From the first scene, he makes it known that he desires the post of lieutenant, and that he would do whatever it takes to reach this post. One of his hints to the audience is declaring 'I am not what I am' - this gives us a clue he is not a good person. Iago knows Roderigo has feelings Desdemona, and would do anything to make her his own. Iago tells Roderigo that the only way to win Desdemona's love, is to make money to procure gifts for her. "...put money in thy purse.." . However, Iago is just taking those gifts intended for Desdemona and keeping them for himself, and in doing so, making a substantial profit. "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse". Roderigo eventually starts to question Iago's honesty. When faced with this accusation, Iago simply offers that killing Cassio will aid his cause and the gullible Roderigo falls for it. "I have no great devotion to the deed and yet he has given me satisfying reason,". In doing this, Iago keeps Roderigo in the dark and continues to profit from him monetarily. Cassio, like Roderigo, follows Iago blindly, thinking the whole time that Iago is trying to aid him, when in-fact, Iago, motivated by his lust for power, is attempting to depose Cassio of his position as lieutenant. Iago does this by getting Cassio drunk and causing him to get in a fight and disturb Othello, Othello then demotes Cassio of his rank as second-in-command thus securing the position for Iago. Cassio also serves as the "middle man" in Iago's plan. Not only does Iago get Cassio demoted but he makes him the main focus of Othello's rage by making it look like he is having an affair with Desdemona. His first signs of malignity is when he said `Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light' is the start of the idea for the downfall of Othello and Cassio. This points him out as a evil person because during his soliloquy he quoted this, and that he is planning the downfall of two innocent victims, which lead to the death of 4. Another example of malignity is he explaining how he will manipulate Othello in the very first scene, as he tells Roderigo “…I follow him to serve my turn upon him: We cannot all be masters, nor all masters Cannot be truly follow’d - this shows he has revenge from the very start. Another example is how he manulitplutes and anhillated Roderigo, he was persuaded to do stuf for Iago, but all that time Iago has transformed him from a person deeply in love to a revengeful person, Iago has demolished his life.
Iago has a number of motives that he presented to us in his soliloquy. One of his main reasons is that Othello made Cassio his lieutenant instead of him, he wanted the position Cassio is currently sitting on so he made Cassio loses his job by getting him drunk and persuading Roderigo to start a fight with him, he did this so hopefully Othello would see his behaviour as utterly unacceptable and take away his job, therefore with no one as his second-in-command he can rise to the position swiftly. 'He hath a daily beauty in his life That makes me ugly' here he is saying Cassio has a beauty that make people perceive him as ugly. Another reason is because he suspects that Othello may have slept with his wife, this is first told to us on his first soliliquy. '...I hate the Moor; And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets. He has done my office...' He suspects that the moor has done his job between the sheets, and hates his wife because he is almost convinced about the rumour so therefore there is another reason why he have created this tragic ending. Another valid motive he has is he hates Othello and is deeply jealous that Othello won Desdemona's heart. By refering Othello as the 'Black Ram', the 'Devil' and other rasicists name he clearly hates Othello and he admitted it to Roderigo when he enquire why Iago is so keen to help him. And during Act 2, Scene 1, Iago clearly describe his opinions of women, how they are to serve men for thier pleasure and generally thinks men is better than women; 'Come on, Come on! You are pictures out of door, bells in your parlors, wildcats in your kitchens, saints in your injuries, devils being offended, players in your housewifery and housewives in your beds... You rise to play and go to bed to work.'', - this links to being jealous of Othello, because he might have been jealous that a Black man whose worse than dirt have such a beautiful and young wife. These motives I think are good enough for some of the things he does, not all of them. I think he has a valid motive to rise to the rank of a lieutenant and for hating Othello as most people in England during Shakespeare time have developed a disgust towards blacks. But being jealous and suspecting Othello slept with his wife isn't a worthy motive s he could have taken his revenge on his wife if he strongly believes she's been cheating on him but instead he decide to make Othello lose the most precious thing to him, his love for Desdemona, although he did killed Emillia in the end it doesnt suffrice for his motive as he killed her for betraying him and revealing the truth about the handkerchief, but not because he loath her for being a whore.
In conclusion Iago is clearly a character built around jealousy and trust. By weighing up all our evidence I think he is not a motiveless malignity as he says 'Take note, take note, O world, To be direct and honest is not safe.' he is refusing to explain why he is doing all this. 'I don’t have evil in me Sometimes to do me service.' and he says he is not evil, yet refuses to say why he conjured up this tradegy. I think makes people suffer because he relised that honesty will earn him nothing as he says 'I shall be ise, for honesty's a fool' and ; To be direct and honest is not safe'. Although 'evil' characters are certainly not uncommon in Shakespeare, Iago is perhaps one of the most interesting. He has been described as 'intolerable', 'an aesthete' and a 'bottomless pit' of evil, The diversity of the roles and characters he is able to play make him an interesting character to study psychologically, as well as being used by Shakespeare as a figure for hatred to be directed towards.
Shakeshere portryed Iago this way is to recreate the devil incarnate. Iago personalifies the devil himself, as wicked and cunning as it says in the legends. With all this twisted anger and hatred Iago makes one of the world most famous villian throughout history and literature. This makes him a more effective villian and most importantly, a villian who is impossible to guess his next move, what he is thinking and reveal is true nature beneath his thoughts.
