Othello: Friends

“Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.” (Proverbs 22:24-25) The Bible warns about friendship frequently and shows the vital importance of choosing friends wisely. Non-Christian and Christian authors alike focus on companionship due to the imperative decision of friends that produces a lasting impact on one’s life. Shakespeare understood the crucial effect of friends and usually authored his plays around the fundamental impact of others. Shakespeare’s Othello possesses a premise of one’s choice in friends supplementary to his other works. Shakespeare’s play Othello emphasizes the importance of good choices in friends through Othello, Cassio, and Rodrigo’s vulnerability to trust Iago.
Iago is not a traditional villain for he plays a unique and complex role. Unlike most villains in tragic plays, evidence of Iago's deception is not clearly visible. Iago is smart and an excellent judge of people and their characters. He uses this keen sense of knowledge to his advantage. For example, Iago knows that Roderigo has feelings for Desdemona and assumes he would do anything to have her as his own. Iago attempts to manipulate Roderigo by saying:
“…She fell in love with him very sud- denly, and they’ll breakup just as suddenly. Moors are moody people. So sell your lands and raise a lot of cash. What seems sweet to him now will soon turn bit- ter. She’ll dump Othello for a younger man. When she’s had enough of the Moor’s body, she’ll realize her mistake. She’ll need a new lover. She’ll have to have it. So have your money ready…” (I,iii,340-347)

By playing on Rodrigo’s hopes, Iago swindles money and jewels from Rodrigo, making himself a substantial profit. Iago also says, "That’s how I always do it, getting money from fools” (I, iii,374) once Rodrigo has left. Iago cleverly disguises his own goals as Rodrigo blindly follows him.
Iago continually operates with ulterior motives in Othello. Iago takes advantage of his friendships with Cassio as well as Rodrigo. Cassio blindly follows Iago, thinking the entire time that Iago is trying to help him. During this whole time, Iago plans the demise of Cassio, his supposed friend. In order to obtain Cassio's position as lieutenant, Iago convinces Cassio to take another drink, knowing very well that it will make him drunk and disgrace him. Iago obviously tries to tarnish Cassio's character when he says, “He drinks like this every night before he goes to sleep. He’d stay up all night and all day if he didn’t drink himself to sleep.”(II, iii, 115-117) Iago is able to make Cassio defy his own reasoning and reluctantly take another drink. As well as making Cassio drunk, Iago circulates the lie about Cassio being a helpless alcoholic. Iago also implements a false sympathy for the falsely accused drunk Cassio by saying, I respect Cassio and I’d like to help cure his alcoholism­­­.”(II, iii, 129-130)As a result of his devious scheming, Iago achieves his goal and Othello terminates Cassio as his lieutenant. Iago successfully manipulates the people around him by building a trust, a trust in which all of Iago's victims believe to be an honest trust.
Othello was blind to Iago’s true character throughout the entirety of the play until the end. Iago deceives Othello into believing he actually liked him and was his friend. The friendship and honesty Iago falsely imposes upon Othello makes it easy for Othello to never imagine the possibility that Iago has evil motives. Othello holds Iago as his close friend and advisor. He believes Iago to be a person, “…of honesty and trust,” (I.iii.284). Iago uses the trust Othello has in him to turn Othello into a jealous man. The cleverness of Iago is displayed through his cleverness to weave through one of the tragic flaws of Othello. Othello has the tendency to take everything he is told at face value without questioning the circumstances. Othello has no reason to doubt these accusations for the "honest" Iago has to be telling him the truth. Iago is successful at turning Othello against his own wife. Towards the end of Act IV, Iago's influence can be seen in the conversation between Othello and his wife, Desdemona. Othello sets a trap for his wife when he asks, "Lend me your handkerchief"(III, iv,50.). Iago creates the impression that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio in order to stir the jealousy within Othello. Iago's influence upon Othello causes him to transform from a flawless, military leader to a man driven to murder.
In Shakespeare’s “Othello,” we can clearly see the dangers of allowing people whom we have chosen as friends to manipulate and deceive one’s self. Iago, a master mind at twisting the facts and preying on weaknesses, used the information and knowledge that he gleaned about each one of his victims through the guise of friendship. His relationship with them allowed him to see their vulnerable places and attack with a vengeance. Roderigo, Cassio and Othello’s poor choices in friendship ultimately led to their own personal demise. Their downfall embodies a warning that everyone must heed. Due their influence on our lives, friends should be carefully selected. The Bible testifies to this in 1 Corinthians 15:33 saying, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’”.