Othello and Cassio both think of Iago as a friend, but throughout the play, Iago tries and succeeds at destroying them both. You may ask, “What did Othello and Cassio do to make Iago hate them?” The simplest explanation is that Othello gave Cassio a military position that Iago felt he deserved. Iago also had suspicions that Othello lay with his wife, but Iago’s hatred mainly stems from Othello’s choosing Cassio over Iago. From the beginning of the play, Iago launches a scheme to destroy Othello along with Cassio. Iago’s hatred turns him into an incredibly devious person person. His need to destroy Othello controls his life. He spends every waking moment of his life lying and tricking people in order to make his plan work. Iago is willing to trade everything he has just to get revenge on Othello. He sacrificed every relationship he had. His friendship and loyalty to Othello meant nothing to him. Iago even sacrificed his marriage for the sole purpose of getting revenge on Othello. He was willing to risk his freedom and even his life just to see his enemy, Othello, fall. Along with his relationships, freedom, and life, Iago gave up his reputation as honest just because he hated Othello (Hatred: A Universal
Othello and Cassio both think of Iago as a friend, but throughout the play, Iago tries and succeeds at destroying them both. You may ask, “What did Othello and Cassio do to make Iago hate them?” The simplest explanation is that Othello gave Cassio a military position that Iago felt he deserved. Iago also had suspicions that Othello lay with his wife, but Iago’s hatred mainly stems from Othello’s choosing Cassio over Iago. From the beginning of the play, Iago launches a scheme to destroy Othello along with Cassio. Iago’s hatred turns him into an incredibly devious person person. His need to destroy Othello controls his life. He spends every waking moment of his life lying and tricking people in order to make his plan work. Iago is willing to trade everything he has just to get revenge on Othello. He sacrificed every relationship he had. His friendship and loyalty to Othello meant nothing to him. Iago even sacrificed his marriage for the sole purpose of getting revenge on Othello. He was willing to risk his freedom and even his life just to see his enemy, Othello, fall. Along with his relationships, freedom, and life, Iago gave up his reputation as honest just because he hated Othello (Hatred: A Universal