This vital speech by Iago taken from Act 2 Scene 3 occurs just after the brawl between Cassio and Montano, where Othello is disgusted with his lieutenant's behavior and dismisses Cassio. From the beginning Iago behaves in this way because of his intense jealousy he has at Othello for promoting Cassio over him.
His motivation develops further due to jealousy of both Cassio and Othello, and their happiness. These projections of hate are a result of Iago's own insecurities and his obsession with being powerful and in control. Iago is viewed favorably by the other characters and he maintains his credibility by being on everyone's side, seen in comments such
as "O honest Iago", "This fellow's of exceeding honesty" and "good ancient".
He persists with false honesty, loyalty and friendship to the other characters who do not see his duplicity until the end of the play. I chose this soliloquy as it reveals Iago's true malice and identity and exposes the plot of Iago's motives.
This is shown through his different line deliveries and the sexual imagery that he uses. When he is with other people he speaks kindly and pretending to be honest and when he is by himself it shows his true self. In the speech "With his weak function. How am I then a villain" humours himself which reveals his ability to manipulate easily.
It shows his sinister talents as he persuades, manipulates and exploits the innocent in the guise of concern and loyalty in order to entrap Othello through Cassio and Desdemona to bring about their downfalls. I hoped to capture the duality of Iago where
he appears to be the honest Iago yet
he is a compelling and sophisticated villain. "She shall undo her credit with the Moor. So will I turn her virtue into pitch" reinforces the fact that Desdemona's natural goodness makes her more vulnerable to his evil. In my speech I hoped to capture Iago as a cold blooded creature who is enraged with jealousy and uses other characters to fulfill his plans.
I hoped to portray Iago as a man who only cared about himself and do whatever evil he could in order to make things go his way. In this soliloquy I also wanted to convey that Iago is also a very clever character and he has the ability to manipulate other characters which allows him to use them to his benefit.
He targets characters flaws and plays on their vulnerability and because of this in the end he succeeds.
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