Iago As A Character In Othello Essay, Research Paper

Perhaps the most interesting and exotic character in

the tragic play “Othello,” by William Shakespeare, is

“Honest” Iago. Through some carefully thought-out words and

actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a

way that benefits him and moves him closer toward his goals.

He is the main driving force in this play, pushing Othello

and everyone else towards their tragic end.

Iago is not your ordinary villain. The role he

plays is rather unique and complex, far from what one might

expect. Iago is smart. He is an expert judge of people and

their characters and uses this to his advantage. For

example, he knows Roderigo is in love with Desdemona and

figures that he would do anything to have her as his own.

Iago says about Roderigo, “Thus do I ever make my fool my

purse.” [Act I, Scene III, Line 355] By playing on his

hopes, Iago is able to swindle money and jewels from

Roderigo, making himself a substantial profit, while using

Roderigo to forward his other goals. He also thinks quick

on his feet and is able to improvise whenever something

unexpected occurs. When Cassio takes hold of Desdemona’s

hand before the arrival of the Moor Othello, Iago says,

“With as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly

as Cassio.” [Act II, Scene I, Line 163] His cunning and

craftiness make him a truly dastardly villain indeed.

Being as smart as he is, Iago is quick to recognize

the advantages of trust and uses it as a tool to forward his

purposes. Throughout the story he is commonly known as, and

commonly called, “Honest Iago.” He even says of himself, “I

am an honest man….” [Act II, Scene III, Line 245] Trust

is a very powerful emotion that is easily abused. Othello,

“holds [him] well;/The better shall [Iago's] purpose work on

him.” [pg. 1244, Line 362] Iago is a master of abuse in

this case turning people’s trust in him into tools to

forward his own goals. His “med’cine works! Thus credulous

fools are caught….” [pg. 1284, Line 44] Iago slowly

poisons people’s thoughts, creating ideas in their heads

without implicating himself. “And what’s he then that says

I play the villain, when this advice is free I give, and

honest,” [Act II, Scene III, Line 299] says Iago, the master

of deception. And thus, people rarely stop to consider the

possibility that old Iago could be deceiving them or

manipulating them, after all, he is “Honest Iago.”

Iago makes a fool out of Roderigo. In fact, the

play starts out with Iago having already taken advantage of

him. Roderigo remarks, “That thou, Iago, who hast had my

purse as if the strings were thine.” [Act I, Scene I, Line

2] Throughout the play, Iago leads Roderigo by the collar

professing that he “hate(s) the Moor” [Act I, Scene III,

Line 344] and telling Roderigo to “make money” [Act I, Scene

III, Line 339] so that he can give gifts to Desdemona to win

her over. During the whole play however, Iago is just

taking those gifts that Roderigo intends for Desdemona and

keeps them for himself. Roderigo eventually starts to

question Iago’s honesty, saying “I think it is scurvy, and

begin to find myself fopped in it.” [Act IV, Scene II, Line

189] When faced with this accusation, Iago simply offers

that killing Cassio will aid his cause and Roderigo blindly

falls for it, hook, line, and sinker. “I have no great

devotion to the deed, and yet he has given me satisfying

reason,” [Act V, Scene I, Line 8] says the fool Roderigo.

And with this deed, Roderigo is lead to his death by the

hands of none other than, “Honest Iago.”

Cassio, like Roderigo, follows Iago blindly,

thinking the whole time that Iago is trying to help him.

And during this whole time, Iago is planning the demise of

Cassio, his supposed friend. On the night of Cassio’s

watch, Iago convinces him to take another drink, knowing

very well that it will make him very drunk. Cassio just

follows along, though he says, “I’ll do’t, but it dislikes

me.” [Act II, Scene III, Line 37] Iago is able to make him

defy his own reasoning to take another drink! Crafty, is

this Iago. When Roderigo follows through with the plan Iago

has set on him, Cassio is made to look like an irresponsible

fool, resulting in his termination as lieutenant. After

this incident, Iago sets another of his plans in motion by

telling Cassio to beg Desdemona to help his cause, saying,

“she holds it a vice in her goodness not to do more than she

is requested.” [Act II, Scene III, Line 287] And thus,

Cassio is set on a dark path which leads to trouble and

mischief. Yet, Cassio follows it blindly telling Iago, “You

advise me well.” [Act II, Scene III, Line 292] With this,

Cassio is eventually led into a trap where Roderigo maims

him, and all that time, Iago – his friend – is behind it

all.

Lowly Iago, is capable of anything – not even

Othello is safe from this villain. Othello holds Iago to be

his close friend and advisor. He believes Iago to be a

person, “of exceeding honesty, [who] knows all qualities,

with learned spirit of human dealings.” [Act III, Scene III,

Line 257] Yes, he does know all about human dealings, but

no he is not honest. He uses the trust Othello puts in him

to turn Othello eventually into a jealous man, looking

everywhere.