THE CHARACTER OF IAGO
KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF IAGO
The jilted husband:
• Iago is ruled by sexual jealousy, exaggerated pride, and belligerent competitiveness; all traits
that de ne toxic masculinity. Shakespeare writes his character such that these aggressive
qualities manifest with his misogyny and paranoia.
• He alienates himself from other men because they are competition and distances himself from
women because of the powers of seduction they wield. This illustrates that men view women as
trophies for their ego and virility, not caring for their wives as fellow human beings at all. It isn’t
their wives’ love or companionship they desire, but their subservience.
The serpent:
• Just like the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, Iago doesn’t commit any crimes himself until the
end of the play. Instead, he orchestrates the actions of everyone else, so that they do his dirty
work for him. This is one way in which he avoids blame: he preys on the malice and evil of
others.
The preacher:
• He depicts sexual desire as a stain or blemish in the sanctimony of the human body in this
monologue that closely resembles a sermon. When he alleges to love Desdemona, he caveats,
‘not out of absolute lust, though peradventure, I stand accountant for as great a sin’ (A2S1),
suggesting he is con icted or even repulsed by his own moral failings.
The cynic:
• Shakespeare conveys Iago’s disillusionment with his society and culture, welcoming the
interpretation that Iago’s conspiracies against Othello act as an allegory for civil unrest and
rebellion, as in the Gunpowder Plot against James I in 1605.
RELATIONSHIPS
Othello:
• Iago is Othello’s ensign, meaning he is Othello’s subordinate. While Othello views Iago as a
trusted friend and advisor, Iago cannot see past the hierarchy that separates them.
• His ability to convince Othello of Desdemona’s in delity and his own honesty conveys the power
of male homosocialism and male solidarity in society: Iago’s word is worth more than
Desdemona’s despite her being Othello’s wife, because Iago is a man.
• He manipulates Othello’s doubts and weaknesses for his own bene t, emulating Capitalism’s
competitiveness. The men’s relationship can be interpreted as an allegory for colonialism: Iago,
the white man, destroys Othello’s identity and replaces it with his own.
• The relationship between Iago and Othello is the epitome of an abusive relationship, where Iago
is the manipulator and Othello is the unwitting victim. Therefore, Shakespeare uses their bond to
explore the other side of love; the antithesis to Othello and Desdemona’s, and yet the victor.
Emilia:
• Emilia and Iago’s rst interaction is in Act 2, symbolising the way she is an afterthought to Iago.
When the two talk, Iago takes the opportunity to harangue and mock her, going on to denounce
women as a whole.
• It is Emilia’s decision to defy her husband and expose his lies that changes the course of the
plot, ensuring Iago is arrested for his crimes. Her courage to speak out against him, going
against her instinct to ‘obey’ him (A5S2), shows how freedom of speech can liberate women.
Moreover, when Emilia does defy Iago, it is to defend Desdemona and attest to her innocence: a
show of female solidarity against male oppression, showing how one woman’s bravery and
de ance can liberate others.
Roderigo:
• Roderigo is yet another pawn in Iago’s game. He takes advantage of Roderigo’s infatuation with
Desdemona, identifying that it aligns with his own desires. While Iago pretends to honour the
fi fi fi fl fi fi
, agreement between them, promising, ‘Thou shalt enjoy her’ (A1S3), he never intends to uphold
his end of the bargain.
• Iago claims to resent the class system of Venice and clearly resents being subordinate to others,
Shakespeare illustrates how Iago uses Roderigo as his inferior. Roderigo is an anonymous
worker, a soldier sent o to die in a war of Iago’s making.
Desdemona:
• Iago’s false bond with Desdemona is perhaps the most tragic of the play. He pretends to be her
friend, even comforting her when Othello loses his temper with her. He impersonates a close ally
even while he plots her death, luring her into the path of Othello’s fury. As an audience, this
emphasises the pathos felt for her as a tragic victim.
• In addition to his perpetuation of domestic violence, Iago perpetuates the objecti cation of
women. His actions reveal his true motives, and it seems he views Desdemona as a trophy, a
symbol for his virility and authority over Othello.
• Othello has slept with his wife, and so it is only fair that he sleeps with Othello’s: ‘wife for
wife’ (A2S1) he explains, in a maxim that closely resembles the Bible’s ‘an eye for an eye’. In this
way, Desdemona is dehumanised, fought over like merchandise.
Brabantio:
• Iago doesn’t have a direct relationship with Brabantio: Brabantio believes he is speaking to
Roderigo the whole time. This confusion further develops the sense of chaos and disorientation
Iago creates. What is most signi cant is how Iago exploits Brabantio’s own insecurities and
prejudices with fatal consequences.
• Shakespeare uses the exchange between the two men to show how Venetian society’s bigotry
enabled Iago’s catastrophic vendetta. All of the characters are complicit in Desdemona’s death.
Cassio:
• Iago’s hatred for Cassio is simultaneous to his hatred for Othello. Cassio is another of his
superiors, and Iago feels intimidated by his authority.
KEY THEMES
Jealousy and cuckoldry:
• Shakespeare illustrates Iago’s jealous origins and how they are inexorably tied to his racist,
misogynist ideologies. Simultaneously, he portrays jealousy as Iago’s chosen tool for
destruction, using it with ease to manipulate others and ultimately decide their fates. Iago is the
master of others’ jealousy, but only because he falls victim to his own in the rst place. Hate
breeds hate; jealousy begets jealousy.
• We are given the rst of these reasons for his jealousy when Iago says, ‘It is thought abroad that
‘twixt my sheets, he’s done my o ce,’ (A1S3). Referring to his wife as his ‘o ce’ connotes work
and duty, linking a man’s marriage to his authority and respectability. Shakespeare illustrates
how jealousy derives from male ego, as the repetition of the rst person possessive ‘my’
conveys Iago’s sense of ownership over Emilia and their union.
• Moreover, the repeated euphemisms used in place of Emilia’s name ampli es his misogyny;
within his jealous narratives, women are solely sexual objects, trophies to be won and lost at the
hands of other men. Shakespeare argues that jealousy is a symptom of male anxiety, borne
from ego and posturing rather than love. The omission of Emilia’s individuality shows that his
‘seat’ could be any woman: what matters most is that another man has ‘leaped into’ it.
• It is the relationship between jealousy and male ego that exempli es such reckless behaviours.
Prejudice and race:
• Traditionally, the idea of the Other in a position of power would be met with outcry and fear, as it
would be viewed as an upheaval of the ‘proper order’ of things. However, it is Iago, not Othello,
who uproots the workings of Shakespeare’s microcosm of Venetian society, leaving chaos and
tragedy behind.
• We see Iago’s adept exploitation of Venetian racism in the opening scene of the play, where he
provokes Brabantio into a t of rage and shock. ‘Even now, now, very now’ he emphasises, ‘an
old black ram is tupping your white ewe’ (A1S1). This lewd, graphic imagery would be
particularly evocative to Brabantio, who is motivated both by his bigotry and his desire to
protect the purity of his daughter.
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KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF IAGO
The jilted husband:
• Iago is ruled by sexual jealousy, exaggerated pride, and belligerent competitiveness; all traits
that de ne toxic masculinity. Shakespeare writes his character such that these aggressive
qualities manifest with his misogyny and paranoia.
• He alienates himself from other men because they are competition and distances himself from
women because of the powers of seduction they wield. This illustrates that men view women as
trophies for their ego and virility, not caring for their wives as fellow human beings at all. It isn’t
their wives’ love or companionship they desire, but their subservience.
The serpent:
• Just like the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, Iago doesn’t commit any crimes himself until the
end of the play. Instead, he orchestrates the actions of everyone else, so that they do his dirty
work for him. This is one way in which he avoids blame: he preys on the malice and evil of
others.
The preacher:
• He depicts sexual desire as a stain or blemish in the sanctimony of the human body in this
monologue that closely resembles a sermon. When he alleges to love Desdemona, he caveats,
‘not out of absolute lust, though peradventure, I stand accountant for as great a sin’ (A2S1),
suggesting he is con icted or even repulsed by his own moral failings.
The cynic:
• Shakespeare conveys Iago’s disillusionment with his society and culture, welcoming the
interpretation that Iago’s conspiracies against Othello act as an allegory for civil unrest and
rebellion, as in the Gunpowder Plot against James I in 1605.
RELATIONSHIPS
Othello:
• Iago is Othello’s ensign, meaning he is Othello’s subordinate. While Othello views Iago as a
trusted friend and advisor, Iago cannot see past the hierarchy that separates them.
• His ability to convince Othello of Desdemona’s in delity and his own honesty conveys the power
of male homosocialism and male solidarity in society: Iago’s word is worth more than
Desdemona’s despite her being Othello’s wife, because Iago is a man.
• He manipulates Othello’s doubts and weaknesses for his own bene t, emulating Capitalism’s
competitiveness. The men’s relationship can be interpreted as an allegory for colonialism: Iago,
the white man, destroys Othello’s identity and replaces it with his own.
• The relationship between Iago and Othello is the epitome of an abusive relationship, where Iago
is the manipulator and Othello is the unwitting victim. Therefore, Shakespeare uses their bond to
explore the other side of love; the antithesis to Othello and Desdemona’s, and yet the victor.
Emilia:
• Emilia and Iago’s rst interaction is in Act 2, symbolising the way she is an afterthought to Iago.
When the two talk, Iago takes the opportunity to harangue and mock her, going on to denounce
women as a whole.
• It is Emilia’s decision to defy her husband and expose his lies that changes the course of the
plot, ensuring Iago is arrested for his crimes. Her courage to speak out against him, going
against her instinct to ‘obey’ him (A5S2), shows how freedom of speech can liberate women.
Moreover, when Emilia does defy Iago, it is to defend Desdemona and attest to her innocence: a
show of female solidarity against male oppression, showing how one woman’s bravery and
de ance can liberate others.
Roderigo:
• Roderigo is yet another pawn in Iago’s game. He takes advantage of Roderigo’s infatuation with
Desdemona, identifying that it aligns with his own desires. While Iago pretends to honour the
fi fi fi fl fi fi
, agreement between them, promising, ‘Thou shalt enjoy her’ (A1S3), he never intends to uphold
his end of the bargain.
• Iago claims to resent the class system of Venice and clearly resents being subordinate to others,
Shakespeare illustrates how Iago uses Roderigo as his inferior. Roderigo is an anonymous
worker, a soldier sent o to die in a war of Iago’s making.
Desdemona:
• Iago’s false bond with Desdemona is perhaps the most tragic of the play. He pretends to be her
friend, even comforting her when Othello loses his temper with her. He impersonates a close ally
even while he plots her death, luring her into the path of Othello’s fury. As an audience, this
emphasises the pathos felt for her as a tragic victim.
• In addition to his perpetuation of domestic violence, Iago perpetuates the objecti cation of
women. His actions reveal his true motives, and it seems he views Desdemona as a trophy, a
symbol for his virility and authority over Othello.
• Othello has slept with his wife, and so it is only fair that he sleeps with Othello’s: ‘wife for
wife’ (A2S1) he explains, in a maxim that closely resembles the Bible’s ‘an eye for an eye’. In this
way, Desdemona is dehumanised, fought over like merchandise.
Brabantio:
• Iago doesn’t have a direct relationship with Brabantio: Brabantio believes he is speaking to
Roderigo the whole time. This confusion further develops the sense of chaos and disorientation
Iago creates. What is most signi cant is how Iago exploits Brabantio’s own insecurities and
prejudices with fatal consequences.
• Shakespeare uses the exchange between the two men to show how Venetian society’s bigotry
enabled Iago’s catastrophic vendetta. All of the characters are complicit in Desdemona’s death.
Cassio:
• Iago’s hatred for Cassio is simultaneous to his hatred for Othello. Cassio is another of his
superiors, and Iago feels intimidated by his authority.
KEY THEMES
Jealousy and cuckoldry:
• Shakespeare illustrates Iago’s jealous origins and how they are inexorably tied to his racist,
misogynist ideologies. Simultaneously, he portrays jealousy as Iago’s chosen tool for
destruction, using it with ease to manipulate others and ultimately decide their fates. Iago is the
master of others’ jealousy, but only because he falls victim to his own in the rst place. Hate
breeds hate; jealousy begets jealousy.
• We are given the rst of these reasons for his jealousy when Iago says, ‘It is thought abroad that
‘twixt my sheets, he’s done my o ce,’ (A1S3). Referring to his wife as his ‘o ce’ connotes work
and duty, linking a man’s marriage to his authority and respectability. Shakespeare illustrates
how jealousy derives from male ego, as the repetition of the rst person possessive ‘my’
conveys Iago’s sense of ownership over Emilia and their union.
• Moreover, the repeated euphemisms used in place of Emilia’s name ampli es his misogyny;
within his jealous narratives, women are solely sexual objects, trophies to be won and lost at the
hands of other men. Shakespeare argues that jealousy is a symptom of male anxiety, borne
from ego and posturing rather than love. The omission of Emilia’s individuality shows that his
‘seat’ could be any woman: what matters most is that another man has ‘leaped into’ it.
• It is the relationship between jealousy and male ego that exempli es such reckless behaviours.
Prejudice and race:
• Traditionally, the idea of the Other in a position of power would be met with outcry and fear, as it
would be viewed as an upheaval of the ‘proper order’ of things. However, it is Iago, not Othello,
who uproots the workings of Shakespeare’s microcosm of Venetian society, leaving chaos and
tragedy behind.
• We see Iago’s adept exploitation of Venetian racism in the opening scene of the play, where he
provokes Brabantio into a t of rage and shock. ‘Even now, now, very now’ he emphasises, ‘an
old black ram is tupping your white ewe’ (A1S1). This lewd, graphic imagery would be
particularly evocative to Brabantio, who is motivated both by his bigotry and his desire to
protect the purity of his daughter.
fi ff fi fiffi fi fi fi ffi
fi fi
