Iago's Engaging And Complex Villain In Othello

In Iago, Shakespeare has Created an Engaging and Complex Villain who Governs the Actions of the Play. Discuss

Shakespeare's character of Iago is seen as one of the most intriguing and deceptive characters ever created. His menacing and complete control over the play and how he so easily toys with the course of the performance draws in all those observing his act and leaves his victims grasping for straws of reality amongst a bed of hoaxes. In order to understand how Iago operates one must first understand the play. In brief summary Othello is the story of a high ranking soldier who falls in love and elopes with his wife. His ensign Iago sets out to destroy Othello and his recently promoted lieutenant, Cassio. How Iago brings all their lives
into a pit of misery is the tragedy of the moor. The complexity of such a villain lies in his un-nerving calm with which he carries out his twisted duties, using a mastery of the language in order to push and persuade, rarely resorting to physical violence and when doing so, usually using a misled character to do his dirty work. His motives that drive him are despairingly thin; his power over others captivates his audience and his curious crimes lead us ‘by the nose, as asses are.' In the time of Shakespeare writing this play there would have been a large host of set stock characters in order to make the plays easy to follow for the audience. Iago does perform to this main baseline of what would have been labelled a Machiavel, a practised liar who secretly plots and schemes. He uses cunning and duplicity to achieve his ends; delighting in his own manipulative evil with the ability to dissemble and disguise his true identity, a theme exceedingly popular theme in the 17th century. Iago conforms brilliantly with this character. In his frequent soliloquies in which he forces the audience to conspire with him, he often shows us the extent of his likeness. ‘In love and honest kindness.' Iago is commenting on advice he just gave a supposed friend, assuring him of its worth, in fact the advice he just gave will led to his entire plot to be cast underway. It is this self assured lying and disguising of his own identity that links him to the Machiavel, combined with the scheming and manipulation that he performs, keeping the audience informed of his dirty tricks in his soliloquies lest we should miss his ill doings. His conformation with the Machiavel stock character meant the 17th audience would have immediately picked up his intentions and would follow closely to see how this particular evil manifested itself.
His conformation to the mould of an established villain also comes with the close ties Shakespeare makes with hell. To his audience heaven and hell were to very stark realities, and Iago's connection to the latter would have provoked a response out of the audience. ‘The devil will make a grandsire out of you' Iago is linking himself to the devil, by threatening someone with the prospect of becoming a relation of the devil to the 17th century audience would have stroked a cord amongst the crowd, being a very serious and real threat, and the evil in Iago seems to flow out in his repeated use of devilish imagery. ‘Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light.' Iago is directly linking his plans to hell and this link to dark satanic forces would emphasize to the audience just how potently evil it is. An involving point about Iago which elevates him above the traditional stock character is that he knows precisely what he is doing. ‘What's he who says I play the villain.' Iago is being ironic and sarcastic. He knows that he is the evil in the story and that it is his plotting and scheming that will destroy them all. This shows the complexity of him as a villain as he has no illusions about what he is doing; he is perfectly comfortable with his crimes and is in complete control of the play. His comfort in his actions brings into stark light the exact evil he is committing, there is no remorse, no hesitation, all this drawing the audience in as they try to inwardly unravel Iago's complexity. Iago is not only engaging to his audience, his fellows on stage are equally enmeshed in his lies. ‘You advise me well.' Cassio describes Iago as honest and obviously takes great heed on what Iago has to say, he considers his advice of the highest caliber. This illusion of friendship shows how deeply Iago's lies run, and how those around him fall into his deception. ‘I am bound to thee for ever' there is irony in what the characters say as there belief that the advice from Iago is honest and true, and will aid them greatly in life, could not be further from the truth. It is in this advice Iago manipulates and twists the characters to his disposal, the words of his advice to which they so blindly adhere to will ultimately be their destruction. ‘This fellows of exceeding honesty.' Its apparent the extent to which trust lies in Iago, the other characters are completely deceived by his façade, they stand no chance against him if they still believe in his honesty. Iago's use of dramatic irony, brings in the audience into the play, as they know what Iago is about to do but they do not know how he will bring about the final transactions of his plan. Iago reveals his true intentions to the audience early on in the play ‘I am not what I am.' Iago is admitting to the audience that he is not what he seems, and that they should watch this space to see how they play unfolds. They will be kept on the edge of their seats as they try to fathom what will happen next and how the other characters will take to Iago's malicious game. ‘I follow him to serve my turn upon him.' Iago is admitting to Roderigo in both of these quotes his deception of Othello, but the depth of the meaning is lost on such a simple soul, he cannot see how Iago runs circles around him. To the audience it is another piece of irony, but Roderigo fails to put two and two and takes what Iago says for less than it is. He doesn't realize that if Iago so readily betrays the trust of his loving master, what is to stop him betraying and using Roderigo, a simple minded man of Venice's middle class, who to the audience is so easily toyed with by Iago. Iago uses the dramatic irony to reel the audience in, just as he uses his many soliloquies to force the audience to almost collude with him.
Iago uses the soliloquies to great effect as the audience move with him, as he decides upon the next course of action the audiences are moving at his side, always knowing what he's thinking. ‘How, how…let me see', ‘I ha't, it is engender'd.' Iago moves from trying to decide what to do, in a state of inspired thought, to yelling in glee the prospect unleashing his plan, all the time he has thought aloud, those watching him know what he is to do. The audience follows his train of thought, as he goes through the actions of his plans those watching are already anticipating his next move. Iago keeps his clique immediately informed, lest they lose interest in Iago the villain.
The soliloquies on which Shakespeare so heavily relies to draw in the audience are far more potent when considered in the context of the performance. At the Shakespearean theatre the stage would be surrounded by the groundlings, low fee paying viewers who stood just feet away from the performing thespians. In that light Iago's soliloquies would have probably been said directly to the audience, they would be further brought into the play by being spoken to, not spoken at. They would feel part of the play as the actors would involve them in the performance, so they would be lead through the soliloquies rather than merely watching them as today's audience would. Iago's power and majesty over the other characters stems from his use of the English language. Shakespeare has blessed Iago with the power of words, and it is Iago's language that not only provides him with power but also with a moving sense that there is more to him than meets the eye.
His skill with words can be seen in the switching between blank verse and prose in order to best suit the character he is preying on. With the lesser intelligent or more colloquial conversations Iago uses prose, a rhythm less group of text that is used to communicate on a far more colloquial level, and serve as a means of a more informal correspondence between Iago and his subject. This use of prose also serves Iago as a platform on which he can be seen as a friendly trustworthy counterpart, adding to the security of his control. His use of blank verse, allows him to run circles round lesser characters, and impress those of higher stature and intelligence. In his first conversation to Roderigo he speaks in blank verse, creating a flow in his speech, ‘It is as sure as you are Roderigo, were I the Moor, I would not be Iago.' This rhyming in his speech creates a current lying through his verse; holding it together and making his speech seem more complicated which adds to confuse Roderigo, he can't get his head round what Iago is saying in time to question what he says, and so is drawn into Iago's trap. The ambiguity of this quote is also apparent, he is blaming Othello for his wickedness by saying that if Othello was a better person, such as himself, there would not be any reason for his villainy, this on another level is a very direct statement, he is saying if I was Othello than I wouldn't be Iago. This haziness in his language creates insecurity in his fellows on stage; who, lest they should seem the fool, fall in behind him. By the time they could decipher his language it is too late. This use of language by Iago demonstrates the complexity of his words, and the power such complexity entails by confusing his subjects.
Iago's use of imagery allows him to bring more power an effect to his language.
‘Even now, now, very now an old black ram is tupping your white yew.' Iago is using imagery to bring home what he is saying to Brabantio. He describes Othello as an old, black ram. He emphasises that Othello is older than Desdemona and is black; Iago's using imagery to spark off a sense of protection in Brabantio. The use of beastial imagery repulses Brabantio and the audience, making the pain in Brabantio's breast sharper and Iago's words carry with greatter effect. Iago also uses a tricolon, or list of three, to build up his point and work up the sense of intensity and vigour in what he is saying. The complexity of his language is clear to see and he uses it to control other characters. Another example would be; ‘we cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly followed.' Iago uses a triple negative to confuse Roderigo, and the speed with which Iago delivers such complex sentences confuses and bewilders Roderigo who cannot cope with what is being said and is drawn in by Iago and taken into his
trap. Iago controls the plays action, almost being the director, by telling the other characters what and where, and the duty with which they follow shows exactly how engaging Iago is.
‘Rouse him! Make after him, poison his delight.' Iago speaks in the imperetive, he is issuing a command, he is directing Roderigo what to do and where. Iago dutifully follows for no reason except that he's been to told to. Iago must be engaging in order to establish such a solid connection with Roderigo that Roderigo will do exactly what he says. ‘Lead him by the nose like asses are.' In his soliloquy Iago is saying what he will do; he will take hold of Othello and lead him astray. He is so sure of his power and control over others that he admits openly to his power, he makes no denial over the control and influence he commands through use of his language. If he wasn't engaging then he wouldn't have been able to create such strong bonds as he has in place in order to completely control his fellows, who trust him blindly, going with him like lambs to the
slaughter. Iago is obviously an intriguing and complex character as he draws in everyone around him, audience and characters alike. He does this through the points made in this essay, his use of language and imagery confuses and awes, his soliloquies entrap and enchant, his false honesty tricks and deceives, the irony he uses makes sure the audience are with him all the way till the end, his confirmation to the Machiavel stock character allows the audience to recognize and follow his actions. But one thing remains untold. Why? Throughout the whole play Iago only gives some very vague and altogether sketchy reasons for his sustained attack on his fellows. His statement ‘I hate the moor' gives us a clear show of his feelings but still no reason. He accuses Othello of sleeping with his wife; ‘twixt my sheets.' it gives us a motive, but Iago himself then condemns the reality of such an occurrence ‘I know if ‘t be true.' This ‘motiveless malignity' draws in the audience further and gives Iago even more control as they try to give reason to his crimes. It is apparent that Shakespeare intended to create such a devilish figure, and Iago uses all his tools of the trade to blanket the action of the play and controls all that is going on. The evidence for this lies entirely in the proceedings of the play, it revolves around Iago as if he were a black hole, and when he loses that power of deception, at the very end, the play unravels as his spell is lifted, and those who have not killed themselves or been killed realise just how much they've been tricked, the astonishment in their own words is proof of how much Iago controlled them. (‘This is thy work: the object poisons sight.')