The Many Evils of Iago in Othello by Shakespeare

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The Many Evils of Iago in Othello by Shakespeare

Iago is a man of jealousy, and he is proposing revenge against Cassio and Othello. " He claims both Cassio and Othello have seduced his wife, Emilia, a warm-hearted, simple woman. He proposes, as revenge of wife for wife, to put Othello into such a jealousy as judgement can cure" (Jorgensen 59). "We know therefore from the start why Iago hates Othello . . . " (Modern 3). Iago's hatred for the Moor is deep, and there is apparently reason. The Ten Commandments teach us to love thy neighbor and to not steal. It seems that Othello has in a sense broken both those rules, or at least that is what Iago wants us to believe. By trying to seduce Emilia he is not loving thy neighbor, and he is trying to steal Iago's wife. The Bible also says not to seek revenge, but to love thy enemy; therefore, Iago is going to also break some rules.

Iago is often referred to as "honest" Iago. This is because he is hiding behind an "exterior of the plain soldier and blunt, practical man of the world . . . " ( Tragedies 19). "Iago is the exact opposite of whatever he appears to be . . . " ( Eagleton 69). Iago's mask has grown to his face and is irremovable" (Evans 117). When a person appears to be so honest yet is so deceitful it seems hard that the person would not be exposed for whom they really are. "Iago does not put his mask on after the action commences, he has presumably worn it from birth onwards- or at least from the start of his military career" (117). It also seems hard to believe that Iago does not eventually believe what he says. "Step by step, Iago falls into his own gap of being, changing as he hears himself plot, improvising a drama that must destroy the dramatist as well ...

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...really are.

Bibliography: Works Cited

Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare Tragedies. New York: Chelsea House, 1985.

- - -. Modern Critical Interpretation-Othello. New York, Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1987.

Eagleton, Terry. William Shakespeare. Oxford UK, Cambridge USA: Blackwell, 1986.

Evans, Bertrand. Shakespeare's Tragic Practice. Oxford: Clarendon, 1979.

Garner, Shirley Nelson, and Madelon Sprengnether, eds. Shakespearean Tragedy and Gender. Bloomington, Indianapolis: Indian U, 1996.

Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Ed. Arthur F. Kinney. Boston: Twayne, 1985.

Mehl, Dieter. Shakespeare's Tragedies: An Introduction. Cambridge, New York, New Rochelle, Melbourne, Sydney: Cambridge U, 1986.

Scragg, Leah. Discovering Shakespeare's Meaning. New Jersey: Barnes, 1988.

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