Iago in Othello: Man or Personification of Evil?

Introduction: The Debate Over Iago's Nature

Critics have debated for centuries the nature of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello. Is he the personification of evil? Or is he simply a man driven to jealousy and revenge, much as a character in one of Poe's short stories might be? Is Iago, in other words, a human being — or a devil? It is not an easy question to answer, especially when one considers that there are many different ways to view the tragedy. Each performance and production offers its own interpretation, and each reader of the play provides his or her own perspective.

Yet if we consider the perspectives of different critics, we may be able to better understand the character of Shakespeare's Iago. Any discussion of Iago as a personification of evil must also include a discussion of whether Iago may be viewed as a man rather than as a devil — which is evil personified. If he is not evil personified, he must be a man. This paper argues that Iago is best understood as a man, rather than as the personification of evil.

A Balanced Critical View: Neither Devil nor Decent Man

Marvin Rosenberg offers perhaps the most balanced view of Iago when he states that he would like "to defend Iago against the charge that he was a decent man…[or] a creature of subhuman evil, malignant without any motivation" (145). What Rosenberg argues is that Iago is neither completely evil — as some critics have claimed — nor completely good in his own way, as others have suggested. While it is easy to swing from one extreme to the other, the balanced view avoids both excesses. If we follow Rosenberg, we see that Iago is a human being who cannot be labeled so easily.

Likewise, J.H. Crouch takes a similar balanced viewpoint when he asks, "Is [Iago] the personification of evil, or is he a well (or ill)-motivated jealous rival to Cassio or Othello or anyone else?" (465). Crouch answers, of course, "Neither" (465). What Crouch shows Iago to be is a man in whom "something went sour" (465). In other words, Iago demonstrates all the characteristics of a human being: he is rational, he is humorous, he philosophizes, and he has relationships — both with his friend and his wife. Crouch cites a production of Othello in which an actor portrays Iago as someone who "is all good fun, that he is the coy-boy, the puppet-master" (465). Such a portrayal is possible because those elements are genuinely present in the Iago that Shakespeare created. They are human traits.

The problem that critics face with Iago is that he displays traits that are both human and inhuman. The malice he bears toward Othello is certainly inhuman in the sense that no rational person would sanction such behavior — and yet Iago is completely rational throughout the entire play. According to both Crouch and Rosenberg, Iago most certainly qualifies as a human being.

Iago as a Three-Dimensional Human Character

Rosenberg argues that to equate Iago with Evil is to impose a "symbolist" label on the play. Shakespeare, however, does not write in symbols. Rosenberg notes that Shakespeare creates characters who feel like real human beings. The problem critics face with Iago is that they are reluctant to admit he is a human being like themselves — or, if they do admit it, they feel compelled to gloss over his evil tendencies. Some critics prefer to read Iago as a symbol of evil, or as the personification of evil, because he is simpler to understand that way. But if Iago is a real human being, then his actions must be explainable. For this reason, some critics regard Iago as an early literary representation of a psychopath.

A balanced reading of Iago takes into account both his humanity and his wickedness. He is a three-dimensional character — not a symbolic representation of Vice. He is Shakespeare's own creation: a man with a name and a character. Iago is a human being who can charm people and also stab them in the back. He functions as a kind of con artist toward Othello, tricking him into believing lies. Obviously, Iago hates Othello and wants to destroy him — and this is one reason critics suggest he is the personification of evil. But the fact that a character wishes and does evil to others does not make him any less of a human being. Human beings, Shakespeare shows, are capable of doing evil things. That is one lesson we can learn from Othello.

Conclusion: Iago as Man, Not Symbol

It would be unfitting to reduce Iago to a mere two-dimensional personification of Evil. Iago is, after all, a man who displays many human characteristics: he makes jokes, he has a wife, he has a friend, and he is capable of envy. One even finds something attractive about him on a certain level. Of course, Iago is not to be trusted — he is the villain of the play — but that does not make him any less of a human being.

As both Rosenberg and Crouch argue, to call Iago a symbol of evil is to force the same symbolic logic onto every other character in the play. The truth, however, is that Shakespeare's characters are meant to function as actual persons, not as personifications of Good or Evil. People often contain both good and evil within them. Iago simply has more evil than good — and it is in recognizing that fact that the play's most important moral lesson resides.

Works Cited

Crouch, J.H. "The Colorado Shakespeare Festival — 1970." Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 21, no. 4, 1970, pp. 465–467. Print.

Rosenberg, Marvin. "In Defense of Iago." Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 6, no. 2, 1955, pp. 145–158. Print.

Shakespeare, William. Othello. Complete Works of William Shakespeare, vol. 2. Nelson Doubleday, 1853. Print.