Othello Essay

Stephen Simmons
English 10 Honors/ Mr. George
2/5/09
Othello Essay

The Revenge of Iago

Motives are what drive people today to commit unforgivable crimes and seek revenge. Every possible hardcore criminal in the world has had a motive for doing something, whether it is pleasure, jealousy, or even revenge. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, we are introduced to a character who seems to be a criminal without a motive. His name is Iago. Many people argue that Iago has either no true motive, or the motive of pursuing his unjust plan to get rid of the moor and become Othello’s Lieutenant. Although this theory seems to fit the puzzle perfectly, it only seems to describe a small fraction of Iago’s actions. Looking beyond his initial plan, Iago understands that he can go much further and stir things up a bit more after realizing that he can and has been manipulating everyone into committing felonies. Now the only remaining question is why he chose to go that extra mile and finish with a grand finale resulting in the deaths of numerous characters. The answer is simple. Iago has done what he did simply to gain revenge on Othello and the other characters, ultimately avenging himself.
What is interesting about Iago is that revenge was his motive from the beginning. Staring in Act One, Iago has been both physically and emotionally insulted by numerous characters in the play that drove him to commit the crimes he did. Iago is like a little child, letting all of his anger and frustration build up inside of him, releasing a little of it here and there, and ultimately taking it out all at one point. In the beginning of the play, Iago is insulted by Othello’s choice of appointing Cassio, a man with little military
experience, to lieutenant: “Despise me, if I do not. Three great ones of the city,/ In
personal suit to make me his lieutenant/…One Michael Cassio, a Florentine/” (Shakespeare 1.1.8-20). Here we truly see Iago’s pride being shattered. We also see the anger Iago is feeling. It is like knowing your best friend picked some straight A+ student over you for the science fair. This can really take a toll on someone. This event took its toll on Iago and marked the beginning of his plan to get revenge on those that he felt betrayed him.
Othello’s appointment of Cassio to lieutenant was only a small ingredient to Iago’s boiling pot of revenge. Another ingredient was Iago’s feeling of jealousy toward Othello. Although he warned Othello about becoming too jealous, he was really talking about himself. In fact, Iago was secretly jealous of all that Othello had accomplished and of his greatness: “Though I perchance am vicious in my guess/… To spy into abuses, and oft my jealousy/ Shapes faults that are not”(3.3.145-148). Here Iago tells us that he has a tendency to look closely into people and what they are doing. Those are characteristics of a jealous person. Jealousy alone would be a strong enough motive but in Iago’s case jealousy -- combined with his anger, frustration, and his thoughtful planning -- truly define revenge.
Iago’s thirst for revenge is self evident at numerous points in the play. One example is when Othello appoints Cassio as his lieutenant. Another example is when Othello supposedly sleeps with Emilia, Cassio’s wife. These are two instances where the emotions of Iago turn from reasonable to rage. However, Iago’s plan for revenge truly blossoms in the last few pages of the play when Othello kills Desdemona, Roderigo meets his end, and Iago kills his wife. The last few pages of the play rule out a variety of said motives for Iago. Had his motive been racism, for example, he would have only targeted a select group of individuals and possibly perish after doing so. Had his motive been injured pride, he wouldn’t have included so many people in his diabolical plan.
For a large part of the play, Iago implements his plan. He begins telling false stories and lies, making people go against each other. He uses his knack for hiding his true feelings and is trusted by all, which enables him to seek revenge secretly. It is because of his gift for twisting the truth and manipulating people that he is able to go ahead with his plan and get back at all of those who have slighted him in the past, such as Othello. Like a child, Iago slowly let all of these instances build up inside of him, carving away at his self esteem and his pride, which ultimately drove him to believe that it is not just revenge on one but revenge on many. Many other motives may seem to fit this puzzle perfectly. There is only one true motive that drives Iago to committing villainous crimes that seize his life and many others. Now the only question remaining is answered. Iago did what he did simply out of revenge.