Iago Essay

1084 Words5 Pages
Iago, the Machiavellian villain of Shakespeare's Othello exhibits character traits of amorality, duplicity, cynicism, pride, and of course, ego. Presented by the speech and actions of all characters, the modern audience can construct a character sketch of Othello that contains all the elements stated above. They are discussed with reference to the first two Acts.

Foremost, Iago is an amoral being. Using Desdemona, an innocent with whom he has no quarrel to 'enmesh'em all,' Iago weaves a web of deception that ensnares the essentially innocent Othello, Cassio, Roderigo and Emilia, each guilty only of hurting Iago's pride. He succeeds in destroying a marriage and two noble characters as well as his wife, (Emilia), and Roderigo. Iago's true delight in his own cunning however, can be witnessed in his Act 2 Scene 1 soliloquy. Here he revels in the power he wields, that which can to turn Desdemona's 'virtue into pitch.' Also amoral is Iago's mercenary use of Roderigo to 'line his coat.' He readily accepts money for a service that is impossible to achieve - Desdemona has no feelings for Roderigo, and Iago knows this.

At the heart of Iago's duplicity is his ability to play a number of roles convincingly; to adapt his tone and style to suit any occasion. With Cassio , he is bluff, coarse and genial. He offers plausible, practical solutions for his problems. With Montano and Lodovico he stresses he has the State and Othello's best interests at heart. His ego is absent when dealing with these people. They are above him socially and professionally. This is however, deliberate. With Roderigo and Emilia, he is self-serving, materialistic and cynical. This can be seen in Act 1 Scene 1 where he makes it clear to Roderigo that his pride was hurt when Cassio was promoted before him, and also in Act 2 Scene 1 where he openly degrades women. There is not much difference between
Open Document