Farewell the Tranquil Mind!

Shakespeare might very well have made the decision to name his play “Iago” and not “Othello,” but I suppose he had a knack for catchy titles. Since it is Othello’s tragedy, even if it is Iago’s play, “Iago” would be an inappropriate title, especially since it is not Iago’s life that is ruined, and although he takes part in most—if not all—of the action in the play, it still revolves around Othello. That notion aside, one might take the time to raise more important or deeper points of discussion surrounding and filling the play.

Notice that Iago’s reason for driving Othello to ruin is jealousy. Iago was passed up for a promotion, and became jealous. So what did he do? He made Othello so crazy that he passed out in epileptic seizures, and so jealous that he killed his one true love, Desdemona. The most basic “eye for an eye,” it is quite probable that this is Shakespeare’s way of commenting on human nature.

Every character that speaks of Iago calls him honest. Perhaps he was at one point, but it is obvious that he has always been a rascal. During the storm, when Desdemona, Iago, and the others are waiting for Othello to arrive, Iago jokes about women being fair and wise or fair and foolish, etc., and the others are entertained by his crassness. It is certain that they are all familiar with and fond of each other, and in their closeness, regard Iago as a sharp-witted, and even sharper tongued, shameless rascal. This combined with the fact that they all consider him honest, they hold him dear and, to their detriment, trust him.

It is important to note Iago’s relationships with the other characters, and to see exactly how it is that he plays them like pawns. He pretends to be the one true friend, feigning concern and jumping at every opportunity to manipulate. He uses the trust of Othello to drive him crazy, and the trust of Cassio to lead him into a trap, for if he had not done as Iago advised, then Othello never would have had reason for his initial suspicion. His wife Emilia and good friend Roderigo are simply his ignorant accomplices that, even though some suspicion may arise in their minds of his motives, still do as he says and believe his lies.

But no such suspicion could have foretold what Iago had planned in his head.