Shakespeare’s presentation of Iago
Shakespeare’s presentation of Iago poses a moral dilemma for audiences as whilst he may
be viewed as evil, he is also a quick-witted and attractive character. The audience’s reactions
to Iago are unlikely to remain the same throughout the play and may even come close to
sympathising with a villain. Shakespeare’s ambiguous portrayal of Iago, therefore, invites a
divided theoretic response as whilst 19th Century critics narrowly view him as pure evil, this
ignores the social context Othello is placed in.
Shakespeare presents Iago as a Machiavelli character who enjoys manipulating his victims.
Coleridge put forward the notion of Iago being possessed of a ‘motiveless malignity’,
suggesting that his scheming acts of revenge are not rooted in any rational desire for a
specific end, but rather in an innate evil quality. It is true that the motives Iago claims to
have are never pursued and in fact alter as the play progresses, which casts doubt as to
whether they hold any validity. Iago’s strong proclamation ‘I hate the moor’ does appear to
be a fact, however, Iago’s frequent racial slurs and othering of Othello as ‘the moor’ could
be a deliberate attempt to exploit the racism of others. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s use of
devil imagery associated with Iago such as ‘divinity of hell’ and ‘hell’s pains’ could link Iago
to the devil and tempter figure in morality plays. Many critics interpret Iago as part vice and
part Machiavel, which implies that he is a cruel political opportunist who delights in his own
manipulative evil. Indeed, Iago appears to flaunt his quick-witted spite and extemporise
when he states…
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Shakespeare’s presentation of Iago poses a moral dilemma for audiences as whilst he may
be viewed as evil, he is also a quick-witted and attractive character. The audience’s reactions
to Iago are unlikely to remain the same throughout the play and may even come close to
sympathising with a villain. Shakespeare’s ambiguous portrayal of Iago, therefore, invites a
divided theoretic response as whilst 19th Century critics narrowly view him as pure evil, this
ignores the social context Othello is placed in.
Shakespeare presents Iago as a Machiavelli character who enjoys manipulating his victims.
Coleridge put forward the notion of Iago being possessed of a ‘motiveless malignity’,
suggesting that his scheming acts of revenge are not rooted in any rational desire for a
specific end, but rather in an innate evil quality. It is true that the motives Iago claims to
have are never pursued and in fact alter as the play progresses, which casts doubt as to
whether they hold any validity. Iago’s strong proclamation ‘I hate the moor’ does appear to
be a fact, however, Iago’s frequent racial slurs and othering of Othello as ‘the moor’ could
be a deliberate attempt to exploit the racism of others. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s use of
devil imagery associated with Iago such as ‘divinity of hell’ and ‘hell’s pains’ could link Iago
to the devil and tempter figure in morality plays. Many critics interpret Iago as part vice and
part Machiavel, which implies that he is a cruel political opportunist who delights in his own
manipulative evil. Indeed, Iago appears to flaunt his quick-witted spite and extemporise
when he states…
Preview ends…buy to see the whole essay (which includes 4 paragraphs and a conclusion)
