Othello - Iago Character Analysis Essay - 772 Words

Iago, in Shakespeares Othello, is a deceiving character because he tells lies in order to get what he wants. He interacts with people only to manipulate them, but most importantly he never reveals his true feelings or motives. Iago might say things that suggest what his motive is, but he soon contradicts himself with another suggestion making it extremely difficult to understand him. Although Iagos true motives cannot be determined, some motives could be jealousy, the enjoyment of seeing people suffer, or power. Iagos jealous of Othello and Cassio because he thinks that both of them slept with his wife, Emilia. In Iagos first soliloquy at the end of act 1, Iago says that Othello might have slept with his wife and even though this is a†¦show more content†¦Iago is a very clever person and he enjoys seeing how idiots make fools of themselves. One of these idiots is Iagos buddy, Roderigo. Roderigo is a typical wealthy, Venetian aristocrat who is madly in love with Desdemona and he has given Iago the task of helping him woo her. Iago uses this to his advantage, even though Iago uses Roderigo to ruin Cassio and Othello, he gets some amusement by watching Roderigo prance around and go nuts over Desdemona. Iago also finds it funny when Roderigo wants to go kill himself after he finds out that Desdemona married Othello. There are multiple times throughout the play where Roderigo should have known that Iago was just using him for money and some laughs and since Roderigo doesnt pick up on this, Iago can use Roderigo to his advantage. Power is probably the most important motive. Iago is very conniving and clever and he can use this to manipulate people. It is clearly seen that Iago thrives for power because he loves manipulating people so that they doe exactly what he says. He does this to Roderigo many times, like when Iago tells Roderigo to give him all of his money and when he convinces Roderigo to kill Cassio. He even controls Othello to the point that Othello suspects his wife and decides to kill her. Iagos thirst for power is also seen when Cassio is appointed to be Othellos lieutenant because this was, supposedly, the basis for his revenge. He really wanted to be lieutenant because it is aShow MoreRelatedThe Character Analysis Of Iago Of Othello1075 Words   |  5 PagesAt first glance, Iago of Othello can appear to have little motivation for his destructive tendencies; however, when viewed through the lens of antisocial personality disorder, his incentive takes on a twisted internal logic. His all-consumi ng desire for revenge is not necessarily because of any outside influence by Othello himself, but rather the fact that Othello disrupts Iago’s conception of himself and is a pawn whom he can manipulate for pleasure. 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