Character Analysis of Iago in the Shakespeare Play Othello - Research Paper Example

English Literature ic and Modern)  December 14, Character Analysis of Iago in the Shakespeare Play Othello The Tragedy of Othello is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written in approximately 1603. The play is based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro written by Cinthio which was first published in 1565. In this play, Shakespeare immortalized the character of Iago the villain of the tragedy play. The character of Iago is perhaps one of Shakespeare’s most complex villains. In any tragedy play, a great villain must have qualities that stand out from others. In Shakespeare's Othello, Iago fulfills all of these qualifications of a ruthless villain who leaves the reader grasping to understand his nature and where he comes from. Iago is characterized as pure evil in the play. The strength and the time he put in trying to take revenge on Othello speak volume about his character. At first glance, he seems to be take pride in his evilness. He is consumed with envy and hatred. Shakespeare adds depth to the character to Iago by making him amoral unlike the typical immoral villains. The character of Iago’s amorality can be seen throughout the play and is illustrated by his thoughts, character and actions.                   One of the most interesting character traits of Iago is his smartness. At the same time he is underestimated by others around him. This makes him the perfect villain as he used this weapon to the advantage at the maximum. He is smart and manipulative and he knows it, "...I am not what I am." (Shakespeare). The readers first see his plan unfold early in the story when Othello ignored him and give the position of lieutenant to cassio. Instead of confronting Othello and finding out the reasons as to why he was not given the promotion, he hatch a plan to get even with Othello, “.. I do hate him as I do hell” (Shakespeare). This hatred for Othello makes him blind to everything around him.  Throughout the play, Iago seems to enjoy ruining people’s life. He not only ruins others life without any sense of redemption, but he does it with a sense of craftsmanship and appreciating the elegance of his schemes as well as the outcome. It is the unique style of Shakespeare to put his characters in a condition where they tend to show their true nature of their passion and master it efficiently for its fated end. This is exactly what Iago is comprised of, his passion of hatred for Othello and his reasons for revenge made him amoral throughout the play.             Iago is artful and he studied human nature deeply. He knows all the torment which afflicts the mind of a man. Because of his understanding of human nature, he is trusted by nearly everyone around him, but on the other hand he does not trust anyone. He manipulates the trust of other people. He has a reputation for honesty, reliability and frankness. In the play Othello and the others often refer to him as "honest Iago." He hides under his reputation and deceive everyone around him. He manages to convince Othello into believing that Desdemona is having an affair with cassio without giving any concrete proof. He puts an idea into Othello’s mind to trick him into believing his wife’s infidelity. When Cassio walks off hurriedly after talking with Desdemona, he takes advantage of the situation and says, "Ha! I like not that" (Shakespeare). This is enough to trigger Othello as he is quite aware of his wife’s beauty and his shortages. With these simple words, Iago manages to make Othello suspicious about his wife’s fidelity. He slowly gains the trust of Othello, "My lord, you know I love you" (Shakespeare). Othello gets trap by Iago words and choose to trust him instead of his wife. He smartly plays Othello by bringing up their marriage, "She did deceive her father, marrying you..." (Shakespeare). Othello is blinded by his love for Desdemona and Iago’s true nature. Iago diabolical prowess “enables him to bend and twist the mind of Othello” (adBrite para. 2). Othello puts his trust in him, "This fellow's of exceeding honesty..." (Shakespeare)              Iago’s talent for understanding human nature and his manipulation of people around him without any feeling of guilt makes him an amoral person as well as a compelling figure. He preys on other’s weakness and forcefully steered their directions for his gains. His ruthless motivations are fueled by his emotions. He also steals from his own friend without the slightest feeling of guilt. Iago manipulates the money that Roderigo gives him to win Desdemona.  Even when Roderigo realize that Iago embezzles the money given by him, he still somehow convinces Roderigo to support his schemes by telling him his plans. He tells him some fanciful tales about his plot to win Desdemona’s heart. Roderigo not only falls into Iago’s trap but also decides to kill Cassio for him. Iago knows about Roderigo’s love for Desdemona and that he would do anything to win her heart. He takes full advantage of this situation, "Thus do I ever make my fool my purse" (Shakespeare) without the slightest felling of remorse or guilt. Iago is an inveterate liar, but he manages to fool everyone around him by taking advantage of the trust they have for him. He does not hesitate to use people around him for his scheme to succeed.        Iago is a completely amoral character. He does not hesitate to sacrifice his friends nor his wife to fulfill his desire for revenge. When Emilia found Desdemona’s handkerchief, she knows the worth of the handkerchief as it was Othello’s first gift to his wife. She also knows that she always keeps it with her “To kiss and talk to” .But, she could not stop her husband’s plan to use the handkerchief and decide to have the handkerchief copied and give the copy to Iago “have the work ta'en out, / And give't Iago " (Shakespeare). Her only flaw is that she loves her husband too much. She sees it as an opportunity to please him without knowing the murderous plan of her husband. When he sees the handkerchief Iago instantly knows that it would be the final scheme to drive the Moor out of his mind, "This may do something. /The Moor already changes with my poison" (Shakespeare). Despite the harsh treatment Emilia receives from her husband, she is still intrigue by his character like everyone else in the play. However, the love that she has for Iago is used by him to gain access to his enemies. Iago sacrificed his wife to take revenge on Othello. When Emilia gives away his plan to kill the moor, he sees his wife as an obstacle to his plans and kills her. His passion for revenge made him blind to the love that his wife has for him. As his wife is a stumbling block in his scheme, he decides to kill her without any remorse. When Othello kills his wife Desdemona, he kills him out of anger, but Iago kills his wife for pragmatic reasons. For him, she serves no purpose to him anymore as he plan would succeed without her. Iago does not hesitate to eliminate anyone once they serve their purpose. Iago 's merciless murder his wife and his friend Roderigo is another proof of his amorality.    No character in play is able to see the villainous face of Iago as he hides them under the disguise of his reputation of trust and honesty. He deceits everyone around him and he is proud to be in that position. He state this clearly when he tells Roderigo, “I am not what I am”. He seems to enjoy the position that he holds as a manipulator and the destructor of other’s life. He is an intelligent and crafty villain who personifies evil as enjoys doing evil for his own sake and passion. One can without a doubt say that Iago is one of Shakespeare’s best and most amoral villains. He stands supreme among all the other villains because of his evil nature and his unremorseful attitude for his acts. His reputation and his ability to say the right things at the right time to manipulate any situations to his advantage make him a successful villain. He controls everyone around him without their knowledge and deceives everyone around him. Throughout the play his emotive feelings and passion dictates the plot. His ruthless motivation fueled by his emotions makes him succeed in his plans to destroy his enemy. But, in his passion to take revenge on Othello, he destroys everyone around him without thinking twice. He has the obsession for control and power. He takes over the life of each one of the characters and steers them to his favor. The character of Iago’s amorality is seen throughout the play by his thoughts, character and actions. Work Cited adBrite. Analyse Iago’s Techniques of Persuasion and Provocation. Megaessays.com. 2001. Web. 14, Dec. 2011. Fred, West. Iago the Psychopath. 1978. Web. 14, Dec. 2011. Mabillard, Amanda. The Flawed Villainy of Iago. Web. 14, Dec. 2011. Read More