Iago: Superior Craftsman William Shakespeare\'s

Iago: Superior Craftsman

William Shakespeare's play, Othello, should be named Iago, after the character that drives the plot and steals the show. Iago is one of Shakespeare's most compelling creations because he is evil. One aspect of his character that makes him unique is his knowledge of his nature. He is proud to be evil. Another aspect of his character that sets him apart is his opinion toward the nature of life and living a good life. In short, he does not place much importance in the effort to live a good life. Iago succeeds because he has an inflated sense of pride, exhibits no concern for life, and is incredibly smart.

One characteristic that that makes Iago unique is his pride. He is fully aware of his evil nature and demonstrates nothing but pride about it. At the onset of the pay, Shakespeare allows Iago to admit to his wicked nature by confessing:

Others there are

Who, trimmed in form and visages of duty,

Keep yet their hearts attending on themselves,

And, throwing but shows of services on their lords,

Do well thrive by them, and when they have lined their coats,

Do themselves homage (I.i.46-51).

Iago is angry and jealous that he was not promoted to lieutenant. When he tells Roderigo that others might show services to their lord, he indicates that he has no intentions of doing so. Instead, he plans to do something in order to exact revenge he feels toward the man. He is proud that he does not think like the "rest of the crowd" and is so confident that he expresses his feelings to Roderigo without any fear or misgiving.

Another characteristic that makes Iago different from most is his attitude toward life and living a good life. He does not believe there are any benefits to living a good life as states, "To be direct and honest is not safe. / I should be wise, for honesty is a fool / And looses that it works for. (III.iii. 376-9). From this we can assume that Iago has no respect for life, sees no reason to attempt living a decent life, and will not attempt to live a good life since there are no benefits in that particular lifestyle for him. This is important because these attitudes give Iago permission to feel the way he does. In addition, they allow him to become more evil with everything he considers an offense. This attitude also allows Iago to befriend Othello only to hurt him with no guilty conscious. He allows Othello to think that he is only concerned for his well-being and he does this without thinking twice about what he is doing. Iago knows that jealousy will cause Othello to become insecure and this will only feed his jealousy. Othello reacts typically, sating:

Haply for I am black

And have not those soft parts of conversation

That chambers have . . . I am abused, my relief

Must be to loathe her (III.iii.260-5).

Iago has no respect for Othello, his marriage, or Desdemona, for that matter. To be precise, he cares for no one but himself.

Another characteristic that makes Iago unique is that he is clever. Being smart is a good thing but being smart and evil is not. Iago knows enough about human nature and, Othello in particular, to do severe damage. He uses Othello's jealousy against him and he does so in a calculated way. Iago knows he wants to destroy Othello and he knows that Desdemona is the love of Othello's life. To destroy that life means to bring it down through the power of love. All he must do is suggest infidelity and Othello's insecurities and jealousies are put in motion. Once these emotions are triggered, it is almost impossible to stop them. Iago knows the nature of man enough to know this and he knows Othello's nature as well. Iago shrouds his motivations behind the guise of friendship, leading Othello to believe he actually cares for him. He cautions him against jealousy, stating, "O, beware, my lord of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock / The meat it feeds on" (III.iii.166-8). Here we see Iago successfully setting Othello up for a fall. It is also worth noting that by instigating Othello's jealousy and then telling him not to react on it, Iago is removing himself from any blame or responsibility. Iago knows that jealousy alone will provoke Othello to anger and Othello will not have anyone to blame but himself.