Iago Uncovered
Why does Iago do what he does? It’s easy to take a glance at him and label him as one of those villains in a story who is simply a villain: pure evil, taking joy in spreading pain and disaster. I don’t think this is the case with Iago. By looking closer at the play Othello by Shakespeare and reading between the lines, I’ve come to the conclusion that Iago does what he does to undermine Othello because of his jealousy over not being promoted, and because of his already suspicious and insecure nature. He is obviously very wounded by Othello’s choice of Cassio over Iago, which plays a big part in his motivation. But as the play progresses and the audience listens to Iago’s thoughts and plans, they can see how overwhelmingly accurately Iago understands Othello’s own mistrustful and insecure nature. I think this is because Iago is very similar to Othello. Because of this, he knows Othello almost as well as he knows himself and is able to come up with a plan that fits Othello’s personality perfectly and works flawlessly.
Playing as the villain in Othello, Iago carries the plot by acting on two desires. They are: to betray and to destroy Othello. There are only two main reasons why Iago dislikes Othello. One, He bears the belief that Othello made love to his spouse and second, is that Iago is angry that Cassio was selected as Lieutenant in his place. This detestation births the chief clash of the play. Iago devises to destroy Othello by coming up with a plan full of deception and treachery, then carrying it out with ease. This plan simply involves making Iago the sole individual that Othello believes he can have confidence in. Then Iago will in turn exploit this trust to control Othello. First, Iago devises to get rid of Cassio as Lieutenant so that he can take over his position as Othello’s trustee and Lieutenant. Then Iago hopes to persuade Othello of Cassio and Desdemona’s affair. If Iago's scheme unfolds accurately, he will be given the vengeance...