There are a number of interesting characters in Shakespeare’s play Othello. From the titular character, to his wife Desdemona, to the manipulative villain Iago, there are several unique characters that would offer an interesting analysis. However, it is the villain Iago that is perhaps the most interesting. He is one of the most cunning of Shakespeare’s villains, largely because of how manipulative he is. He plans everything out carefully, and he’s not afraid to get his own hands dirty. That being said, he actually does little of the ‘villainous’ deeds himself, and instead has others do it so that he can continue to appear innocent. He’s a very intelligent man, and it is easy to see how he almost got away with his scheming. In fact, his two most defining traits are his intelligence, and his willingness to kill others in order to get at Othello.
Iago’s motivations are rather simple. He hates Othello because Othello gave another man a promotion over Iago, one that Iago feels more qualified for. Because of this, he wants to ruin Othello’s life, and he decides that the best way to do that is to target Othello’s wife, Desdemona. However, he doesn’t react instantly. First he simply observes Othello and Desdemona, and learns more about them. This is one of the first examples of how intelligent Iago is. He doesn’t act rashly. He plans carefully, and that is why his plans largely succeed. After witnessing Desdemona’s father tell Othello that Desdemona will betray him, Iago begins to set his plan into motion: to make it seem like Desdemona is unfaithful to Othello. He uses personal aspects of their relationship against them, and twists events to suit what he wants others to see.
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This is contrasted with people referring to him as “honest Iago” even though he is anything but. His intelligence is what gets him so far, but it is his willingness to use everyone to achieve his ends that causes his downfall as well. For example, his wife Emilia exposes his lies for what they are at the end of the play, and it can be easily inferred that it is partially due to his treatment of her that she is so willing to confess his crimes. Ultimately, Iago murders her, seemingly without remorse. This adds another layer to his character: he is unrepentant, as long as he can achieve his goals. He does not care who he hurts or kills along the way.
In some ways Iago is a fairly static character. He is unpleasant, and the text openly points this out and condemns him. He doesn’t really have any good qualities, and he doesn’t have a good excuse to want to hurt Othello either, other than his pride. In that sense, he isn’t a great Shakespearian villain because he’s not particularly complex. However, he is still a very effective villain, and in many ways his attitude is actually very realistic. Fiction likes to add complexity and layers to its villainous characters because it makes them more interesting. However, in reality, there are sometimes horrible people who do horrible things for little or no reason at all. These people are frightening, and therefore Iago is frightening – and a capable villain – as well.
Iago is defined by how far he is willing to go, and by his intelligence. He almost goes through the entire play without getting caught, and his ultimate goal actually does succeed. Furthermore, he is one of the characters that survives the play. He is a convincing villain, and a horrific one, though he is a rather static character in and of himself. He isn’t complex, and rather seems to represent a kind of true evil, with no redeeming qualities. Because of this, Iago is one of Shakespeare’s most capable villains, even if he is a rather one-dimensional character.
