In the first few lines he quotes;
“Thus do I ever make my fool my purse;
For I mine own gained knowledge should profane.
If I would time expend with such a snipe, but for my sport and profit.”
These lines simply mean that he would not normally waste his time with such a fool as Roderigo, other than for his own gain and profit. And gain and profit he does, he gains Roderigo’s trust at the same time as making a profit by keeping the gifts Roderigo has works hard to buy for Desdemona.
“I hate the Moor” is the next words spoken, and this plainly reinforces to the audience that he is very angry with Othello and actually loathes him. This is not the first time he has expressed his hatred for Othello, but it is the first time he has done so and have nothing to gain by saying it, for example when he says it just to gain the trust of others when in actuality he despises Othello for the better life he has been handed. Iago also talks about the fact that it is generally believed that the moor has slept with his wife, in reality this is untrue and just a rumour. Iago “not know if it be true” but will “act as if it was for surety”. This also gives Iago yet another motive for his ill-famed deeds.
The rest of the soliloquy is merely a step by step strategy on how he intends to deceive the other characters into doing his dirty work.
Casio is used as a pawn in Iago’s game, because he is already close to Desdemona and of course because Iago hates Casio for being promoted above him. For Iago’s plan to work Casio is needed to look like he is getting “too familiar” with Othello’s wife. Besides Casio is a “proper man” and a man with the manner to be suspected of such a act as to make men’s wife’s unfaithful.
Iago then finishes off be reaffirming that Othello is a man of “free and open nature” and will be easy to dupe. He then refers to Othello as being as easy to lead as a donkey.
His final words are;
"t is engendered Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the worlds light."
Which merely means this is my plan, and now I will bring upon its birth and put it into action. By referring to hell, night and monstrous he is saying that this will be the start of something truly evil. The themes that are involved in this play are as of yet not established, this being so early in the play and one of the first of many soliloquies. But what we have seen so far from Iago is merely just the beginning of the lies and deceit implicit in the remainder of the play
Siobhán Stewart
