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The Character of Iago in William Shakespeare Okello

Introduction

Othello is a play comprising of five acts written by William Shakespeare between 1603 and 1604. First published in 1623, the play borrows the plot from De gli Hecatommithi (1565) by Giambattista Giraldi, which Shakespeare was familiar with in the original Italian language. The play starts when Othello, a hero and black general service in Venice appoints Cassio as his Chief Lieutenant. Iago is furious about Othello overlooking him for the promotion devises a revenge plan. Iago is envious of Cassio and jealous of Othello’s success. He plans to bring Othello down by telling him that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. With the assistance of his wife Emilia and Roderigo, he executes his plan. Overcome with jealously, Othello kills his wife, Desdemona. He learns too late that his wife was innocent and that Othello had tricked him, and eventually, he kills himself. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the character of Iago in the play Othello. Iago’s character is fascinating, amoral, proud, reliable and honest, and misogynistic and racist.

Iago is Fascinating

Iago is possibly the most heinous of all Shakespeare characters and his terrible actions paint him as a fascinating character. Iago does not have convincing motivation for the actions he carries out. In scene 1, Iago is angry at Othello for not appointing him as a lieutenant. By the end of the act, in scene three, Iago openly claims that Othello has slept with Emilia, his wife. The text says, “It is thought abroad that twixt my sheets/He has done my office.” Again Iago mentions his suspicion in scene one of act three. Iago proceeds to explain that he also lusts for Desdemona because he wants to get back at Othello for lusting after his wife Emilia (Xinhua, 67). Iago calls his plan “wife for wife.” Worth noting, none of the claims made by Iago seem to explain his deep hatred for his master Othello, and neither does it explain his inability to express the true motivation behind his actions which makes it even more terrifying. The story reveals Iago’s true character; he is willing to execute revenge on anybody that provokes him, including Othello, Desdemona, Roderigo, Cassio, and even his wife, Emilia. It is almost as if Iago enjoys the damage and pain he causes.

Iago is Reliable and Honest

In the play Othello, Iago has a reputation as a reliable and honest man. He is known for his direct speaking. Other characters in the play often refer to him as “honest Iago.” Iago managed to rise through the ranks of service through achievement and merit. For this reason, Othello, who possesses excellent military judgment, appoints him as ancient captain because of his outstanding qualities. Shakespeare uses Iago to demonstrate to his audience characters that act against his reputation. Although Iago turns out to be a deceitful character, it is possible that at one point, he was an honest man and something happened that made him abandon his virtues. He thought Othello would give him a promotion and appoint him as lieutenant, which was not the case. This was his turning point. He felt betrayed, and this made him seek revenge against Othello.

Iago is Misogynistic and Racist

Throughout the film, Iago comes off as a character that displays hatred for women and racist. Iago’s misogynistic character is revealed in scene 1 of act 2, where he is openly cynical. He only views women as mean-spirited, false, and inferior beings. This can be proven by the comment he makes that women “rise to play and go to bed to work.” This is a crude delineation of women and it signifies his narrow-mindedness and twisted egoistical nature. At the end of this scene is a soliloquy that leaves the impression of racism. The undertone in the soliloquy suggests that Iago does not approve of Desdemona. He refers to her as an aristocratic white woman that has settled for “poor trash of Venice.” The trash, in this case, is Desdemona’s husband, Othello, who is of black descent. It is evident that Iago is an egoistic man that goes the extra mile to disgrace those he considers worse human beings than himself (Abuzahra and Rami, 185). His misogynistic character is confirmed after he murder’s Emilia. Iago seems to have a general hatred for women. Worth noting, some readers opine that the real reason why Iago persecuted Othello was his homosexual preference for the general. Iago derived pleasure in turning Othello against his wife and preventing him from enjoying his marriage. Additionally, he demonstrates his love for Othello effusively and frequently.

Iago is Amoral

Iago lacks principles and moral sense, as demonstrated in the play. He uses Desdemona, knowing well that she is innocent, to exert revenge on Othello. Iago does not have any quarrel with Desdemona but rather her husband. He comes up with a plan full of deception knowing very well that innocent victims would get hurt. The plan ensures that innocent victims, including Othello, Roderigo, Emilia and Othello, get hurt in the process. Their only mistake was that they hurt Iago’s pride. He knows very well that Cassio is not having an affair with Desdemona, but that does not stop him from executing his plan. He succeeds in destroying Othello’s marriage and also the characters of two noble beings; his wife Emilia and Roderigo. Iago takes delight in his cunningness, which is witnessed in his soliloquy in scene 1 of act 2. Iago’s lack of principles is demonstrated in how he used Roderigo to “line his coat.” Additionally, Iago willingly accepts payment for a service knowing well that he cannot deliver.

Iago is Proud

The play demonstrates Othello’s pride as surrounded by sly vindictiveness. Iago becomes furious when he suspects that Othello has twisted his sheets (Cressler, 73). His anger is founded because he loves his wife Emilia and he could not bear the thought of another man being better than him. His feelings emerge in line 270 of scene 1, act 1. Iago states that his soul will not be satisfied until he gets back at Othello’s wife for wife. Iago’s pride is also witnessed when Iago makes it clear that he is angry about Cassio’s promotion to the position of Lieutenant. Iago speaks to Roderigo and refers to Cassio as a “bookish theoric” who does not have any practical experience in war. He insists that the promotion system is unjust and vows to execute revenge on Othello and Cassio for bruising his ego.

Conclusion

Iago is the main protagonist in William Shakespeare’s play Othello. The play centers on Iago’s revenge plan against Othello for failing to promote him to the position of Lieutenant. Iago felt more deserving of the promotion than Cassio. He is hurt by the move and vows to seek revenge against Othello and Cassio. With the help of his wife Emilia and Roderigo, Iago manages to turn Othello against his wife by convincing him that she is having an affair with Cassio. Othello kills Desdemona before committing suicide. In this play, Iago comes of a proud reliable, and fascinating character. Additionally, Iago is misogynist and racist as demonstrated in how he kills his wife Emilio and refers to Othello as poor trash of Venice because he is black. Iago lacks morals as depicted in how he devises a deceitful plan knowing very well that innocent people would get hurt in the process.

Works Cited

Abuzahra, Nimer, and Rami Salahat. “Analyzing Iago’s Speech in Shakespeare’s Othello.” Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics 2.2 (2018): 185-203.

Cressler, Loren. “Malcontented Iago and revenge tragedy conventions in Othello.” Studies in Philology 116.1 (2019): 73-100.

Xinhua, F. A. N. G. “An Analysis of Iago’s Ethical Selection in Othello.” Comparative Study of Cultural Innovation (2019).