Good and evil have a complex relationship and no one wholly one or the other, and this is explored in Othello by William Shakespeare. In the play the protagonist Othello is manipulated and worn down to a being of pure jealousy by the antagonist Iago. Iago is by no means a perfect villain but the way he leads his peers to madness like a puppet master is remarkable, and his actions drive a once good Othello to murder his faithful wife. Although Othello may be too quick to jealousy, Iago is a deceptive villain whose reprehensible actions implant the jealousy into Othello and he is ultimately responsible for the events of the play due to his manipulation of Othello, and the way he uses his own self interest to advance his plan.
Iago is responsible for the events that occur in Othello because of the masterful way he manipulates Othello into believing that his angelical wife Desdemona is unfaithful. Iago is a master of language, on multiple occasions he rigs his own advice and manipulation to leave only a positive outcome for this plan. Iago tells Othello,
“Trifles light as air
Are to the jealous confirmations strong
As proofs of holy writ
This may do something (3.3.370-372).”
Iago is explaining to the reader that real evidence if not necessary to further Othello’s raging jealousy and that all he must do is make Othello think Desdemona has cheated on him. Even though the handkerchief is a mere “trifle” to Iago, it is an important family symbol for Othello and Iago demeans the value of it consciously. As Iago sees Othello’s jealousy building, he plays on this by warning him about the danger of jealousy when Iago says, “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!/ It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock/ The meat it feeds on;” (3.3.195-197). Iago knows that at this point in his plan Othello is past salvation and is already on his downward spiral. Shakespeare is foreshadowing the end of the play because ultimately jealousy is what brings the end of both Othello and Iago, because jealousy is part of what starts Iago’s plan. Othello still believes that he is not being manipulated when he says,
“Why, why is this?
Think’st thou I’d make a life of jealousy,
To follow still the changes of the moon
With fresh suspicions? No. To be once in doubt”
(3.3.207-211).
Othello explains that he is not a jealous person and that jealousy will not overcome him, but he also states that he wishes for proof that Desdemona did not cheat on him, thus showing how Iago has planted doubt into his mind. By now, Iago knows that he has already set in place all of the pieces to make his plan successful, and all the while not a single drop of suspicion is shown by anyone. This really is the true genius of Iago, that while he is leading Othello down a path of destruction he is being praised for his honesty all across Cyprus. Iago’s manipulation is ultimately what drives the play, Othello might be a little too quick to jealousy, but Iago is the one who brings out that jealousy.
Iago’s self interested plan is what makes him a great villain because of how he framed it to be both evil and advantageous, while constantly adapting it to fit new circumstances. Iago first expresses his plan in Act 1 Scene 3 during his first soliloquy, where he expresses his rationale and what he hopes to gain. One of Iago’s chief motivations is jealousy, a constant theme in the book, which can be seen when he says,
“I hate the Moor,
And it is thought abroad, that ‘twixt my sheets
‘Has done my office. I know not if ‘t be true,
But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
Will do as if for surety” (1.3.429-433).
He uses jealousy that he isn’t even sure of as a rationale which is part of what makes him such a compelling and interesting villain. One of his chief motivating forces is baseless and leads some critics to call Iago a motiveless malignity, but these claims are not true as he earlier states that,
“Cassio’s a proper man. Let me see now,
To get his place and to plume up my will
In double knavery. How? How? Let’s see.
After some time, to abuse Othello’s ear
That he is too familiar with his wife” (1.3.329-334).
Iago is not motiveless, he is doing this for this own sport and profit which means he is motivated by his own self interest. He intends to use Cassio to confess that he loves Desdemona in order to bring out a Othello’s jealousy so that he will fire Cassio and hire him to fill his place. Iago adapts his plan and changes it to be far more malicious as the play continues, which is part of what makes him such an effective villain. Iago changes so much that near the end of the play he even suggests for Othello to strangle Desdemona. Othello follows through with this and after he does Othello remarks,
Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk
Beat a Venetian and traduced the state,
I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog
And smote him thus. (V.ii.350-354)
Othello is speaking about himself right before he stabs himself. He calls himself absurd names that show how he hates himself for believe Iago’s manipulation.
Which shows the power of Iago’s manipulation and how his evolving plan lead to the tragic events of the play.
Although Othello is too quick to jealousy, Iago’s cunning manipulation and masterful planning are what drive the plot of the play and ultimately is what leads to the tragic end. Iago is most similar to John Kramer from the Saw series because they both do not see themselves as villains, they justify their wretched actions by saying that they just states their opinions. This play uses jealousy as a driving factor of the plot and shows how powerful it is. Jealousy leads men to think without their heads, and is a tool for villains to exploit.
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