This essay examines Othello and Iago as contrasting character foils in William Shakespeare's Othello. Drawing on scholarly sources from Berry, Arthos, Draper, and Bowman, the paper explores how two men who both commit murder are nonetheless fundamentally different in motivation, morality, and temperament. Othello is portrayed as a loving, honorable soldier corrupted by Iago's manipulation, while Iago is depicted as inherently malicious, driven by jealousy and self-interest. The essay argues that while both men are killers, their contrasting natures illuminate the complexity of the human spirit — one capable of love and remorse, the other of cold, calculated evil.
Two characters that could not be more different are found in William Shakespeare's play Othello. The characters that serve as foils to one another are Othello and Iago. While our first impressions of the men are completely different, it is interesting to observe how they share some of the same characteristics. They are both soldiers and, ironically, they are both murderers. However, their characters illustrate how we cannot judge an individual completely by their actions alone, as doing so causes us to miss important facts. While both men demonstrate that they can kill, looking into the reasons behind their actions reveals the complexity of the human race. Undoubtedly, both men are killers, but one demonstrates the adoring aspect of the human spirit while the other demonstrates how callous the human heart can become as a result of selfishness, jealousy, and hate.
Othello and Iago are perfect characters to compare because they are so different from one another. Ralph Berry observes that the pattern in Othello is a "clear-cut pattern of good and evil" (Berry 3). This is true because, at the end of the play, we still dislike Iago while our hearts go out to Othello. Othello is a proud man and a strong warrior, and his greatness is what attracted Desdemona to him. Othello is very aware of this, stating, "She loved me for the dangers I had passed, / And I loved her, that she did pity them" (Shakespeare I.iii.166–7). Othello is a man capable of love and is very much in love with his wife. We know that he does harm Desdemona in the end, but our first impression of him is positive and hopeful.
Iago, on the other hand, strikes us as a nasty little man from the moment we first meet him. His first words are negative and degrading. His jealousy bleeds into his conversation as he belittles not only Cassio but all men who choose to serve their masters with a loyal heart. Iago cannot help himself and manages an insult at every possible moment. He loathes honest living, saying, "To be direct and honest is not safe. / I should be wise, for honesty is a fool / And loses that it works for" (III.iii.376–9). He has no intentions of doing good or being good, and he does not care who knows it. Ralph Berry puts it succinctly when he observes, "Iago, in truth, likes to think of himself as evil" (Berry 8). This brings us to the major difference between these two murderers.
Both men demonstrate the significance of human nature. Othello does not set out to be evil, mean, or the least bit hurtful — he is a victim. It is important to note that he is not perfect, and this is where he encounters trouble with Iago. John Arthos maintains, "Othello falls finally through some coincidence of a failure in himself and the wonderful persistence of Iago's improvisations" (Arthos 94). Iago seizes his moment when he realizes that Othello is prone to jealousy. Yet it is important to recognize that Othello is prone to jealousy, not murder. Arthos contends, "Folly and jealousy and lust corrupt his love as ambition never corrupts his other obligations, but it is not the vices that finally lead him to think of killing Desdemona . . . but honor" (Arthos 103). Iago, on the other hand, is someone we can identify as quite prone to murder. Othello was not inherently evil; Iago drives him to the point of no return. Iago, however, needs no prodding — only opportunity.
"Draper's view of Iago as a man of honor"
"Iago's stoicism versus Othello's grief and regret"
Othello and Iago are two men who demonstrate how a man can kill in cold blood. However, we do not look upon Othello as the same kind of killer as we do Iago, because of each man's circumstances. Iago's intent was to harm. He never wanted anything but revenge, and even as he killed the woman closest to him, he felt nothing. Othello never intended to do anything but love and honor his wife. Iago drove him to murder by exploiting his weakness as a man. One man represents evil beyond words, while the other represents the delicate nature of man and how we must guard that nature should we encounter an Iago intent upon our destruction. We cannot deny that Othello is a murderer — and a cruel one for never allowing Desdemona a chance to speak for herself — but we recognize that his actions were guided by the hand of an evil man whose singular intent was to destroy the life Othello had worked so hard to create.
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