A duplicitous villain of the Shakespearean tragedy "Othello", Iago embodies Italian vices of turpitude, debauchery and corruption, catalysing the tragic demise of the play's noble and worthy General.
In reference to his second soliloquy at the end of Act 1, Samuel Taylor Coleridge asserts that Iago is a "being next to the devil", deeming his monologues to be "the motive hunting of motiveless malignity". This post will explore the ambiguity behind Iago's "lack" of clear motivation for his actions- an attribute that consolidates the Machiavellian villainy of Shakespeare's monstrous antagonist.
During the play's exposition, we learn that Iago is passed over a promotion to become Othello's lieutenant. According to Martin Rosenburg, Iago is a "wronged man", whose years of servitude were passed in favour of "a lesser man" in Cassio. Iago stresses his dismay to the audience:
"I know my price, I am worth no worse a place. "
It is plausible that in search of revenge, Iago seeks to exploit Cassio's charm to construct a tragic pawn out of him. Iago pounces and stains Cassio's reputation as the play progresses, eventually seizing his desired and "rightful" position at Othello's side. However, "Honest Iago's" modus operandi is relentless, suggesting there are greater underlying motives behind his somewhat unfathomable treachery.
Perhaps Iago's provocation stems from an issue with power. Iago is a megalomaniac, besotted with himself and taking advantage of others. This is exhibited by his constant maltreatment of Roderigo, a yearning desire for attention and a longing for dominance over Othello. Iago financially liquidates the Venetian simpleton that is Roderigo, making a mockery out of him to the entire audience. He is considered a "Jester" and a "long-nosed snipe", foolishly submitting to Iago's assertion to "put money in thy purse". The ability to manipulate Roderigo with such ease may have spurred Iago on to seek influence over those around him, exploiting the tragic blindness of the play's entire cast. His excessive use of "me, me, me" only heightens this debate, where his deepest fantasies lie at the centre of his thought process. Iago's craving for power is reflected by his dominant share of the play's dialogue, leading critics to contend that he deserves to be deemed the title character of the play.
In addition to his obsession with power, Iago explicitly showcases both racist and misogynistic paradigms. The Machiavel uses racial epithets to undermine the play's tragic hero, stressing how he is a "black Moor" with "thick lips". Iago consistently expresses his resentment towards Othello and Desdemona's relationship, referring to their marriage as a "monstrous birth". He then shamelessly asserts that Othello is an "old black ram", stereotypically demoting him to an overly active sexual beast. Iago also firmly believes that women are volatile and sexually deviant, openly degrading his own wife in the process. A strong animosity for women and a pure disdain for the "Moor" therefore constitute further potential motives for the play's incomprehensible tragic villain.
Likewise, Iago's excessive sexual fascination poses another probable influence on his villainy. His malcontent with Emilia may have encouraged him to tarnish Othello and Desdemona's intimacy, despite claiming that Othello has "done his Office". "Honest Iago's" sexual frustrations do not cease here, as some critics have claimed that he is maddened by a repressed homosexual lust for the General. The mock-marriage scene of Act 3 augments this as a potential motive, as hypothetical jealousy lies behind Iago's exorbitant "hatred" of Othello.
Iago operates under an agglomeration of interpretable equivocal motives, intensifying the heinousness of his villainy. His lack of clear direction retains his position as one of Shakespeare's most mystifying villains, forging the devilish antagonist that Coleridge strongly regards him as.
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