Iago
As wicked and evil as Iago
is, it’s hard not to love him. Not only does he let you (the audience) in on
all his inside jokes and evil schemes, but he’s clever, has a deviously good
sense of humor and a rather admirable sense of human nature and how to exploit
it. He’s earned a permanent place in my heart after I’ve read the play three
times and talked about him with friends. I mean this from the perspective of a
writer, reader, and student because Iago is fascinating even if he isn’t what
you would call ethical. We can all agree that he is evil, but what no one seems
to agree on his the overall question surrounding this character’s actions: “WHY???”
Here’s an attempt to figure
it out, but I’ll be frank here (and you can be Bob)— There is no definite answer.
Motive? There is a multitude of theories flying around the
universe as to why Iago is so hell bent on destroying Othello. He gives us a
few reasons, such as being passed over for promotion, for rumors of Othello
sleeping with Iago’s wife, Emilia. Then, there are the reasons we can infer for
ourselves, such as his love for Othello being spurned, to the love of villainy
in general. It’s a cop-out though, I think, to say that he does it all for the
sake of evil. Shakespeare characters always have a human quality about them,
and I don’t think Iago is an exception.

Iago’s life had been serving
under Othello, fighting beside him in Rhodes and Cyprus. So when he’s passed
over for promotion, his life of service is essentially nullified. This is why I
love the comparison made by Harold Bloom in his book Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human between Iago and Milton’s
Satan (who was probably inspired by Iago). Iago/Satan loved Othello/God so much
that the betrayal was felt that much more, motivation a return in kind.
Iago’s Relationship to Othello. Aside from the soldierly bond between them, there is
a lot to be dissected and speculated about their relationship. One recurring
theme I’ve come across among critics of this play is the nature of their love. Is
it purely platonic? Or is it homosexual? There’s a lot of evidence to support
both.
Platonic Love. For starters, it’s important to note the shift of
their loyalties on and off the battlefield. During war, they are inseparable
brothers in arms who would lay down their lives for each other and for their country.
When they are back among civilian life, however, these rules no longer apply.
Othello’s loyalty is now to his wife (at least for a while) and Iago’s loyalty
seems to fall solely on himself. Being as that may be, they still have their
deep bond that was forged in war.
Homosexual Love. This theory is like candy for anyone who has even so
much as dabbled in Freudian analysis, and for anyone who has read the play, the
lines tend to smack of homosexual tendencies—and then some. The scene which
made me stop and reconsider my perspective of the characters is the infamous
mock-marriage between Iago and Othello. No, they don’t get married. But they do
swear allegiance to each other in words and stage direction that is identical
to that of a marriage, what with the kneeling and saying things like “I am your
own forever” (3.4.546). The scene begins with Iago attempting to trick Othello
into thinking that Cassio was fooling around with Desdemona by fabricating an
incident of Cassio supposedly dreaming about her, calling out her name, but
sleep-groping Iago who was sleeping next to him. And kissing him. This is a lot
of man on man action, if I do say so myself.

(To be fair, however, the
view on homosexuality was much less Puritan in Shakespeare’s world. I was once
told that there was no word for being gay at that time, though I haven’t
researched that fact yet…)
Jealousy. Whether or not it is platonic or homosexual, Iago
could be the victim of jealousy. On one hand, Cassio is stealing away Othello’s
affection, and on the other, so is Desdemona. Othello has new favorites, a
privilege that Iago may or may not have ever acquired no matter how badly he
wanted it. Additionally, we have the famous line by Iago who 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). From a psychologist point of view, is this jealousy
being projected onto Othello?
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Ewan McGregor as Iago |
Marriage to Emilia. The effect of his married life on his motives is left
up to a lot of speculation, but we are given enough facts about it to bring it
into consideration. The most obvious is the rumors of infidelity. It’s
mentioned by Iago twice (Act 1. sc. 3 and Act 2 sc.1) that Othello has “done
his office” (as in, slept with Emilia), and Emilia even mentions it herself in
Act 4. But, he also says, “I know not if ‘t be true,/ But I, for mere suspicion
in that kind,/ Will do as if for surety” (1.3.431-433). My interpretation is
that he is grasping at any excuse to take Othello down, any means to justify
his hatred. Also, there doesn’t seem to be much love lost between Iago and
Emilia. There is also a possibility of frustration in his marriage to Emilia if
we consider the implication of impotence in Emilia’s speech to Desdemona in Act
4.
“But I do think it is their
husbands’ faults
If wives do fall. Say that
they slack their duties,
And pour our treasures into
foreign laps;
Or else break out in peevish
jealousies,
Throwing restraint upon us” (4.3.97-101)
This implies that all is not
well in the sex-life of Iago and Emilia, which would anger any man if a noble
Moor could do things to his wife that he was unable to. This is a subtle, but
rather profound, blow to any man’s pride because, well, it strikes at all
things considered “manhood.” The impotence in bed, followed by or in unison
with the alleged affair of Emilia and Othello is a plausible starting point for
Iago’s wrath. From here, the gun may have been loaded, and Cassio’s promotion
the trigger.
Social forces acting against him and shaping
his character. Iago is not a man
of gentility. Though he may not have had an extensive education like Cassio, or
the wealth to pay for it, he does have an inherent genius about him. As a
Venetian, he knows how society works and the importance of status to move up in
the world, as he bitterly comments
“’Tis the curse of service.
Preferment goes by letter and
affection,
And not by old gradation,
where each second
Stood heir to th’ first”
(1.1.37-40)
Because of his lot in life,
that is being of a low class without the benefits of good looks (as Cassio
has), he hones his skills as an opportunist. As they do in Venice, he puts on
many masks and facades to manipulate people and outcomes. In fact, for all his
planning and calculating, it is the chance occurrences that make or break him.
The first happenstance that catapults his evil plan into immediate action is
the simple act of Desdemona accidentally dropping her handkerchief, the one
that Othello had given her as a gift. That handkerchief is used as the evidence
to get her sentenced to death. Unfortunately for him, the casual mention of
this handkerchief later on is what brings about his down fall.
Emilia. The only wrench in his villainy machine is Emilia. She
is the one who sees what the handkerchief has been used for and that it was
used by her husband. Rather than biting her tongue and trying to protect her
husband from any consequences, she is instead the one to denounce him to the
world, even though it costs her. She is the one character in the entire play
who is able to bring some truth to light. This is the first time, throughout
the 5 acts of the play, that things don’t go his way and Iago kills her for it,
but that does not save him from arrest.

As they are about to drag
Iago away for inevitable torture, and probably death, they ask him what we all
want to know: Why???? To which the
bastard replies
“Demand of me nothing. What
you know, you know.
From this time forth I never
will speak word” (5.2.355-356)