Othello Double Crossers Essay

Double-Crossing the Double-Crossers? In every play there is a relationship between the audience members, the actors, and characters on stage. The audience is not always involved directly; however, numerous characters find solace in sharing their plans and inner feelings to the audience rather than their surrounding characters. At times, these interactions are hidden from the rest of the characters on stage in order to make the audience seem as more of a close friend rather than an acquaintance. These interactions further bolster the relationship between stage and audience evoking all forms of responses. In Othello, Iago discloses his fundamental plans and his end goals to only the audience through a series of monologues and soliloquies (1.3.375-396).

These are scenes where Iago does tell the other characters the truth and tells them exactly how he feels about others in order to get them on his side. Iago clearly tells Roderigo how much he hates Othello and for what reasons (1.1. 8-32) while also including Cassio and regards to him as “A fellow almost damned in a fair wife” (1.1. 20). He tells Roderigo that Cassio has “never set a squadron in the field” and hence, does not have any hands-on knowledge about warfare and is unfit to be the lieutenant (1.1. 21). Iago has no reason to lie to those who he wants working for him which is shown when Iago reveals to Roderigo that Iago merely serves Othello in order to take advantage of him later (1.1. 41). During these monologues, Iago describes his hatred for Othello and his reasoning while also revealing his underlying motives to both Roderigo and the audience. As a result, the audience is given the same information and may very well be a

For example, Iago uses Cassio as a pawn in order to take his position and ruin Othello’s reputation in the process. Iago uses Cassio’s manners around women in order to make it seem like Cassio is sleeping with Desdemona and make “a web to ensnare” Cassio and ruin his position (2.1.168-171). Iago also uses Roderigo by tricking him in the beginning and tells him that if he goes and makes money, he will use that to buy gifts for Desdemona so she will fall for Roderigo (1.3.338-369). However, Iago just takes those gifts and keeps them for himself and essentially makes a fool out of Roderigo. This explains how the audience cannot be considered as much of a character towards the end of the play since Iago deceives everyone but the audience since later in the first act, Iago goes into a monologue where he states that he has fooled Roderigo and only the audience knows that fact, thus bolstering the claim that Iago sees the audience as confidants