In the opinion of F.R. Leavis, “Iago’s power is that he represents something that is in Othello.” To W.H. Auden, however, Iago was “a portrait of a practical joker of an appalling kind.”Discuss these and other ways of regarding Ia
In the opinion of F.R. Leavis, "Iago's power is that he represents something that is in Othello." To W.H. Auden, however, Iago was "a portrait of a practical joker of an appalling kind."Discuss these and other ways of regarding Iago's role in the play.
In the play, Iago's character is certainly complex and difficult to understand, and what is particularly intriguing is the sway he has over the whole of the proceedings in the play. From the very beginning he is coordinating the action, and the other actors, despite the significance of their characters, do not seem to be as substantial as Iago, which in itself is ironic, as I will explore later on. This complexity that Iago displays is one that is the subject of many famous critical analysis's of him, notably in this case of Leavis and Auden.
Leavis gives Iago a sinister and implacable importance, in that he represents something in Othello, meaning that Iago is simply a device that represents the instability in the relationship between Othello and Desdemona; that as a personification of Othello's insecurities Iago does naught more than bring about a situation sooner that otherwise would probably have happened but over a greater length of time. This is a view that is very difficult to substantiate, as it is not a view that is easily reconciled with the text. Moments such as:
"Utter my thoughts? Why say they are vile and false?"
(III, iiii)
where Othello is almost using Iago as an outlet for his own suspicions and horrid imaginings. In this way, Iago is certainly representing something inside Othello in that he voices the Moor's fears as accusations. This can be interpreted by some as evidence of the sinister intelligence of Iago, that he is clever enough to see the possible cracks in the relationship between Desdemona and Othello, and exploit them to a degree where he induces Othello into murder. Others still may see it as evidence of Iago's insubstantiality as a true character in his own right, and that he is more of a device used by Shakespeare to precipitate the inherent insecurity and tension that a coupling as the lead pair have in their relationship. It is of course highly difficult to use the text as a source of evidence; it is purely the plot and the psychological effects on the characters that can provide important information to help. For example, in the beginning, Othello is most certainly a noble and well-mannered gentleman, more so than the nobility themselves, which is an important distinction to make:
"Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them,
Good Signior, you shall more command with years,
Than with your weapons." (I, ii)
This, spoken to Brabantio is an example of Othello's eloquence in comparison to the supposedly noble senator Brabantio, who bursts in to the scene with curses;
"Oh thou foul thief" (I, ii)
which is certainly not to be expected - that the nobility is so profane and the black man so poetic in terms of the perceptions of the audience at the time. It is a stark reminder ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
"Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them,
Good Signior, you shall more command with years,
Than with your weapons." (I, ii)
This, spoken to Brabantio is an example of Othello's eloquence in comparison to the supposedly noble senator Brabantio, who bursts in to the scene with curses;
"Oh thou foul thief" (I, ii)
which is certainly not to be expected - that the nobility is so profane and the black man so poetic in terms of the perceptions of the audience at the time. It is a stark reminder of the positions of the characters in the play when it is referred back to later on, when Othello has fallen from the moral position he has apparently unconsciously held from the beginning. The fact that the contrast is so great tells us it is not a natural change of heart, that it has been brought about by an external source, that which we know of as Iago. The effect that Iago has can be seen to be strongest in Act 3 Scene 3, the scene that acts as a pivotal moment for the play:
Othello - "Now art thou my Lieutenant"
Iago - "I am your own for ever."
(III,iii)
This is the ending of III, iii and as such is an ingenious moment to place the centre of the play. Up until now, our impression of Othello has been nothing if not adoringly admirable, but now towards the latter end of the scene we see the other side of the coin, a darker side to Othello that will progressively worsen until the ending where it culminates in the murder of Desdemona and the attempt on Cassio's life by Iago (under instruction from Othello). But then a strange moment occurs that throws a wholly different light on the proceedings and also changes the view of Iago that many may have held up until this, point, the moment consisting of two separate but irresistibly conjoined aspects. One is the return to poetic eloquence on Othello's part, and the other is the silence emanating from Iago in almost audible waves. The importance of this has a great bearing on the reader's impression of Iago.
Othello's easy acceptance of Iago's insinuations prompted Leavis to say that his power comes from representing something that is inside Othello. If this is so, it is certainly consistent if not proven by the text, as when Othello does come under Iago's wing there are disturbing changes in his manner and personality that mirror Iago's own psyche. His language gets progressively cruel and animalistic, which is a characteristic already highly notable in Iago's own:
"I took you for that cunning whore of Venice,
That married Othello" (IV, ii)
The disgusting way he refers to Desdemona is reminiscent of the horrid way Iago speaks; it is almost as though in tempting Othello into the trap Iago has entrapped him in the same filth that Iago inhabits mentally. They are almost as enmeshed as lovers, and the imagery is indeed a perverse kind of binding relationship. With Othello's fall comes a complementary rise in Iago's own characters activity, almost as though Iago gains strength through Othello's loss of it. This is certainly a substantial observation, as towards the end, when Othello regains his former glory, Iago becomes a silent person, as the balance of power once again shifts to favour Othello. This is highly supportive of the view Leavis has as well as others, such as the view of Iago as a repressed homosexual who chooses Othello as a victim of his oppressed desire for men that leads him to strangely hideous acts towards people as he does in the play.
Auden's view is one that is interesting but does not seem to stand up to any real, rigorous analysis. The very fact that Auden refers to him as a practical joker is a novel idea - it is a view that does not have any serious roots in my mind. Fair enough Auden says 'of the most appalling kind', yet this is an easy statement to make. How far can a person take it before a practical joke becomes more than that? In this case I believe it is very fast over as a practical joke, a couple of lines into the play in fact. Iago is not a humorous character, and the essence of a practical joke is the humour involved. True, Iago does orchestrate the action as a stage magician may do, which provides links to stage comedy, but it is a link as tenuous as the vividity of a fleeting dream, one that will be gone by the time the dreamer brushes their teeth a minute later, dissolved in the bright light of the morning sun. It is plain that Iago is deadly serious character, as he proclaims to Roderigo
"I am not what I am" (I, i)
He is certainly not what he is in Auden's case, practical joker not at all. The term practical joker implicates a humanity of sorts, as empathy for amusement would be required to be able to do a practical joke, as to understand humanity is to feel empathy, which most do unconsciously, but there is no real hint at any point in the play of empathy on Iago's part. Indeed, quite the opposite is displayed, as he treats all others with as little true respect it is possible for a human being to have for others of his or her kind;
"You'll have your daughter cover'd with a Barbary horse,"
(I, i)
He shows no respect for the decency of Brabantio, and proclaims such abhorrent and racist accusations out loud in the streets of Venice at night time, made especially outrageous by the fact that it is Venice, a supposedly civilized and highly sophisticated society at the time. This is not evidence totally to the contrary of Auden's view, as it can be used as evidence of the nature of the practical joke - but itself and the consequences it may produce are way out of proportion of any idea of a practical joke.
Iago is a character many have dubbed a mystery - but the task of deciding how to view his character can be resolved very simply by logical discussion. This is not to say that Shakespeare was a rationalist and created characters that are philosophical in nature, but that he was a playwright and as such wrote in a way that would suit the play he was writing. Iago is a villain; this is a statement which none can doubt. As a villain he has a role to play, that of causing the downfall of a character or characters that seem to be near perfect in their strength. So, Shakespeare created a character that was indeed near perfect, and Othello is such by anyone's standards, apart from the one thing that distinguishes him from his counterparts, his race. His race is the one aspect of him - not flaw though, as this is not a pro-racist play, the one aspect that Iago can exploit. As a result of his race, Othello will have great insecurities, no matter how far down in his psyche, that will govern some of his emotional habits. Desdemona has touched Othello on a layer deeper than any person before, certainly from Venetian society, and no matter how greatly Othello may love her, it is a sad fact that his protectiveness will make his judgement impaired, coupled with the habit of acting decisively that has arisen from his experience on the battle field. This is the inherent character flaws that Shakespeare has given Othello, all as a result of his skin colour, which is ready to erupt to the surface when he forms a relationship, but only if something can reach that deep to pull it out of the murk and reveal it to the light of day. Shakespeare does this with the dramatic device known to us as Iago. This may be why he is such a puzzle to many audiences, that he seemingly lacks so much depth. It is usual to put this down to complexity of psyche and so on, but it has to be kept in mind that he is but a character in the play and as such is serving a purpose that does not require the complexity of character that some critics have conjectured upon. His apparent motivations are just dressing for what he is; inhuman because Shakespeare has not attempted with any effort to give him humanity. He does not require it, all he requires is the malice and ingenuity that is needed to cause Othello's downfall among other tragic events. The true humanity in the play is Othello's miserable human qualities that make him imperfect as a lover because of his human psyche that needs the love and care of a being such as Desdemona but cannot get it because his other human nature, that of his protectiveness of his identity. It is easy to complain that Othello is not noble because of his actions but that is an argument for an ideal of nobility, which is never going to be available to a human under any circumstances - ideals are for heaven and imperfection is for men. So, Iago becomes a very peripheral character in the greater context of the play, ironic as he has around a third of the lines in the play dedicated to him. He truly is like a stage master, who remains in the shadows but is ever present, who orchestrates the action but never acts himself. As such his character is not one that requires any truly critical and textual analysis, but the irony of this is it is a realisation that must come about as a result of thoroughly reading and analysing Shakespeare's work. Iago remains as elusive as a substantial person as always but it is clear that as an insubstantial person he is to be regarded, and that it is his perfect role.
Vikas Chowdhary Page 1 4/23/2007
