Iago in Othello Essay

In Shakespeares play, Othello, Iago is one of Shakespeares most interesting villains. But it is Iago's jealousy, of anyone who gets anything that seems better than that which he gets himself, which is the driving force of the play. It is Iago's jealousy which enables him to provoke the same feeling in others, to use them to his own advantage, or at least to their disadvantage. Shakespeare portrays Iagos jealousy through a variety of techniques such as the use of soliloquies and imagery which are both most abundant in Acts I and II.

Iago is extremely plausible. He is the image of the bluff soldier, frank, vulgar in speech honest and loyal. This is how the audience sees Iago in the opening scene. This is how he wants to be seen and until the end, how the other characters see him. He presents as the man reluctant to betray his friend Cassio who is then involved in a drunken brawl. Othello sees Iago as a brave defender of his reputation against Brabantios attack on it. Even his wife, Emilia, shares the universal perception that he is honest

Soliloquies are used by Shakespeare to convey the theme of jealousy, mainly within Iago. I hate the Moor and it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets hes done my office is one of the many soliloquies used by Iago which reveals his jealousy towards Othello and raising suspicions that Othello had slept with his wife. This provides the audience with an intimate view of Iagos innermost thoughts and how jealousy has poisoned his mind.

Another example is when Iago is jealous of the character of Michael Cassio in his soliloquy In personal suit to make me his lieutenant One Michael Cassio a Florentine. A fellow most damned in a fair wife that never set a squadron in the field. From the beginning, Iago possesses a strong hatred towards Othello and jealousy towards Cassio because he is denied the position of lieutenancy. Shakespeare let Iago have this line so he could show a fury of being beaten to a position a person would have thought was theirs by a man with no experience but was learned and also shows that Iago is highly jealous of Cassio since Othello chose him as his lieutenant rather than Iago.

Shakespeare also uses imagery in Othello to convey the theme of jealousy. The main example is the metaphor of jealousy as a green eyed monster. The monster was conceived in the last line of Act I and continues to grow within the minds of other characters throughout the play. This raises tension within the audience as they wait with rising dread of the awakening of the monster.

Shakespeare has represented Iago in a way that conveys the theme of jealousy throughout the play. He has made him the mastermind of jealousy in the play and manipulates jealousy within other characters to his advantage. Shakespeare exposes his jealousy within the play by using techniques such as imagery and soliloquies within Acts I and II