Iago Othello Essay

Iago is a triumphant villain within Shakespeare’s Othello. He is a complex character whose intentions are hidden underneath layers of deception, manipulation, and deviance that contributes to his “façade”. Iago is someone we love to hate, and Othello wouldn’t be more than a soft-hearted romantic drama. Iago is an incredibly multifaceted character, and is the instigator of all tragedies that take place in the play. Throughout Othello, we see an unwinding of the deceptive web Iago has spun around every character. It was essential that each character believed Iago was a genuine, honest man. Shakespeare often threw around the word “honest” to exaggerate the contradiction of the meaning within Othello. We see Iago’s true devious nature through his many soliloquies, and were included by Shakespeare to evoke a sense of

Iago’s words are laced with brutish imagery and sexual innuendos, which all support his dark conception of his world. Iago’s language reflects the depravity of his mind. Iago makes little effort in hiding his feelings about Desdemona and Othello from the audience. Immediately his thoughts on their elopement are evident in his tone. He refers to Othello as an “old black ram”, which indicates the racial hatred Iago bears towards Othello. The metaphoric references Iago makes about Othello and Desdemona making love is full of obvious detest and loathing; the “affection” Iago shows Othello is all part of his act. With his fine technique, Shakespeare is flawlessly able to conjure and create a villain so complex, that it could fascinate almost any audience. Iago is a character with many layers, that one could delve endlessly and much deeper into his nuances and false visage. It is undeniable that Iago and his mischief (which could almost serve as an understatement on the havoc he has wreaked) play the main source of plot development in the