What Are Iago's Motives In Othello

The play Othello by William Shakespeare revolves around protagonist, Othello, as he is continuously deceived by a villainous mastermind posing as his most loyal friend, Iago. Although Othello is technically the protagonist of the play, Shakespeare takes a unique approach by allowing the reader to spend most of the play inside the mind of the psychotic Iago as he slowly destroys the life of not only Othello, but everyone who is in a close relationship with him. Many to this day are still unsure of the motives of Iago, and question his twisted pursuit of the destruction of the people around him. His actions; however, can be explained as an irrational and psychotic reaction due to the envy that he held towards those closest to him. Throughout
Othello, Iago's envy-driven rampage destroys the reputations and livelihoods of all of those who fall under the fire of his deception and as a result; he single-handedly alters the work as a whole transforming it into one of Shakespeare's darkest tragedies Iago's envy is not merely caused by Othello, but also by Michael Cassio, Othello's elected Lieutenant. He expresses this anger to Rodrigo, his unknowing partner in crime, in the beginning of the play and harps on the fact that Cassio did not deserve the promotion due to his lack of military experience. This statement truly kills two birds with one stone as it explains his hatred for Othello and his envy towards Cassio. However, this excuse for such a violent crime is simply
Koziolkowsky 2 a quickly devised justification for Rodrigo so he will cease with his questioning of Iago's motives.
Iago's true reasons for his hatred towards Othello are explained during a soliloquy in scene three. Iago proclaims, "... it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets / He has done my office: I know not if't be true; But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, / Will do as if for surety." (1.3.380-82). In this soliloquy Iago clearly states that he suspects Othello of sleeping with his wife, Emilia. While he has no proof of this encounter, he states that for "mere suspicion" he will continue as if it was undoubtedly true (1.3.382). Here, in this line, the reader can see Iago's compulsive nature and can infer that although his master plan is throughly thought through, the consequences of his actions are not. In this instance Iago's character can be compared to Othello as almost a foil. While Iago is quick to action, and has no sympathy for the reputation of others, Othello demands proof before condemning someone from such serious accusations. Although eventually Othello allows himself to be deceived by Iago, he truly believes he has witnessed concrete evidence before he turns against his own wife. While Iago's master plan to destroy the lives of both Othello and Cassio is driven by envy, Othello's mental breakdown is inflicted by jealousy. While envy is powered by desire for another's possessions or social status, jealousy is a type of protective paranoia that people exhibit when they
believe they are in danger of losing something dear to them. In this way, jealousy highlights the insecurities of the person in possession of the emotion because it shows the fact that they do not think they are worthy of what they have. If one is in danger of losing something precious to them, then they clearly do not believe they are deserving of that item, and are therefore inferior to others in some way. A man like this would be described by the philosopher
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Aristotle as a vain soul, "One who deems himself worthy of great things, but is not worthy" (Aristotle). However, jealousy needs to be triggered by one who is worthy of the possessions of a vain soul for it to consume a man, which is exactly what Iago does. Iago's manipulative nature allows him to search beyond the forefront of man, and reach into one's darkest fears. He exposes the insecurities of Othello, and introduces Cassio as a "great soul" who is capable and deserving of a woman as beautiful as Desdemona. Iago's deception causes Othello to turn against himself for his race and shortcomings until he can bear it no longer and must take action. In this way envy is a necessity for jealousy to take place due to the fact that for jealousy to occur, there needs to be someone worthy of the possessions of a vain soul to spark the paranoia. Iago's evil nature, coupled with his unfathomable envy and quest for vengeance truly makes him the perfect villain.
He holds no true sympathy for anyone, and acts as one of the most honorable men in Cyprus at the time so he can become close to those he truly wishes to destroy. His general demeanor is cold and we can see that he never truly refers to Othello by his actual title. In fact, he most commonly refers to Othello as "the Moor" which is just a description of his nationality. Not only is this title borderline racist, but it also perfectly exemplifies Othello's complete disregard for the lives of those around him.This deep-seeded evil inside of
him separates him as Shakespeare's most horrid villain. He does not use his skills of deception to save one's feelings, nor does he use it for personal safety, he only utilizes his intelligence and skills of deception for evil and the destruction of those around him. One quote which truly gives the reader an insight into the mind of Iago is early into the play when he states, "I am not what I
Koziolkowsky 4 am," (1.1.65). As well as displaying that Iago is truly not what he seems, Shakespeare uses this quote to describe Iago in biblical terms, almost as God explains himself in the quote "I am that I am" (Exodus 3:14). It is clear; however, that this quote is not utilized to compare Iago to God, but rather to an evil force, one who uses their intelligence to deceive others and reduce their lives to shambles through manipulation. The force in question is the devil himself. An angel fallen from grace, who sees past the masquerade of the average man and accentuates the insecurities and short-comings of all men in order to destroy their reputations. This factor of Iago's inner evil completely changes the meaning of the work as a whole and alters it from what could have been a comedic play about an envious man who attempts to lead a happy couple to a divorce, to one of the most gruesome tragedies Shakespeare has ever written. Iago is truly a fascinating character to analyze as his malicious intellect sets him apart from most other antagonists. His involvement of innocent characters into his plot to destroy Cassio and Othello is unnecessary and simply evil. In the final moments of the play, Iago even slays his own wife for the sake of his psychotic quest for vengeance. The reader can see from these actions that not only is Iago driven by envy, but he is a truly dark and evil human being. His meticulous plotting to destroy Othello, Cassio, and anyone who got in his path was not pure luck, but relied upon dedication and predicting the behaviors of those around him, enabling him to completely manipulate Othello and Cassio and turn the most loyal of men at each other's throats.