Iago: Evil Unbound William Shakespeare's

Iago: Evil Unbound William Shakespeare's tragic drama, Othello, provides us with one of the most interesting villains of all time. Iago is a man fueled by his own hate. Jealousy, revenge, and anger become the driving force behind his nature but he does nothing to control these emotions. Instead, he chooses to act on them. He is evil in every since of the word because he is aware of his nature and can only be pleased by it.

He is proud of his conniving nature and has no regrets about it whatsoever. Iago is also a dangerous man because he is smart. He knows exactly what to do to set things in motion to destroy Othello. He understands human emotion and pits people against each other with an ease that is frightening. Iago is also jealous, just like Othello. These characteristics allow him to manipulate Othello in ways that are remarkable and tragic at the same time.

One characteristic that makes Iago truly evil is that fact that he is aware of his own evil and does not feel compelled to do anything about it. In fact, he seems quite proud of his nature. What we see in Iago is the inherent bad nature of man. Iago is not insane and he is completely aware of what he is doing yet, he has no desire to change. This is one of the first things we realize about him.

He is evil because he has no respect for Othello and does not care who knows it. He tells Roderigo that Othello is a: Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so And will as tenderly be led by th' nose As asses are. (Shakespeare I.iii.393-6) Here we see that Iago not only disrespects Othello, he does so with pride. There is no closet hating with Iago. There is no passive aggressiveness with him, either.

He is completely candid about his feelings and does not seem to be worried one bit that Roderigo, or anyone else for that matter, will do anything to stop him from being malicious. He is proud of his nature, a characteristic that is possessed by only extremely hateful people. Another characteristic that allows Iago to manipulate Othello is the fact that he is smart. His keen awareness of people gives him an incredible advantage over Othello.

Iago watches Othello from the beginning of the play and soon learns what will bring him down. Simple observation reveals to Iago that all he must do is instigate Othello's jealousy to destroy his trust in Desdemona. Iago is not above using Othello's trust to help him get what he wants. He is clever in his scheme because he makes Othello think that he is on his side and that he actually cares for him when nothing could be further from the truth.

For example, when the two are discussing Desdemona, Iago says: O, beware, my lord of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss Who certain of his fate loves the wronger, But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'ver, Who dotes yet doubts, suspects, yet fondly loves. (III.iii.166-71) Here we see an example of Iago's cleverness. He warns Othello about jealousy, appearing to be concerned, knowing that Othello will not be able to contain his emotion.

Once the thought of infidelity has entered his mind, it can never be erased. With very little effort, Iago has set Othello up for a great fall. Iago also displays how clever he is with the handkerchief. Iago is a dangerous villain because he is intelligent. He thinks things out and carefully plots his moves. He knows how people operate so he can use their weaknesses against him. Another characteristic that allows Iago to manipulate Othello is his own jealousy.

Iago is not reasonable in his feelings regarding being passed over for lieutenant. Instead of talking to Othello, he becomes enraged at those who would rather honor their masters and he allows his jealousy to rule him. He is much like Othello in that once an idea is planted in his mind, he does not forget it easily. Iago chooses to act out instead of behave rationally. He decides that the one thing that would make him feel better is revenge. His jealousy has positioned him to.