Iago As A Tragic Villain In William Shakespeare's Othello

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago depicted a tragic villain, who, as Samuel Taylor Coleridge stated, displayed a “motiveless malignancy.” As indicated throughout the play, Iago’s actions were fueled by anger and jealousy, but there was never a “good reason” for sabotaging Othello’s happiness because Iago received no benefit for his manipulative deeds. If there was a kingdom to gain or treasures to take, Iago’s actions would have been more understandable, if not reasonable to the readers. Ironically, Iago’s unjustifiable motives were the elements that gave him access to his manipulative journey. From the beginning of the play, it was quite important to note that Iago did not plan to murder Othello, he wanted to serve as the adroit manipulator

As a respected leader and individual, the Moor prided himself for his accomplishment and adored his wife. However, his insecurities in his reputation and pride allowed him to fall under Iago’s deception. Iago knew Othello’s weakness was Desdemona; therefore, he used that fact to his advantage. Addtionally, to retaliate against Cassio for the lieutenant position, Iago crafted a scandal that caused irreversible damages. At first, the Moor rejected Iago’s accusations of Desdemona and Cassio because he stated angrily, “Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore. Be sure of it. Give me the ocular proof, Or, by the worth of mine eternal soul, Thou hadst been better have been born a dog Than answer my waked wrath!” This confirmed Othello trusted Desdemona just as he was certain of her faithfulness when Brabantio warned him, “She has deceived her father, and may thee." Unfortunately, while Iago cunningly disseminated seeds of doubt in Othello with mendacious acts and insincere pledges of loyalty, the Moor’s faith began to waiver. As the depth of deception deepened, Othello, prompted by Iago, killed his faithful wife, who even at the cusp of death, would not betray him. What a