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Shakespeare’s Othello should have been called Iago because Iago is by far the most interesting of all the main characters in the play, and the play seem to revolve around the consequences of Iago’s lies and deceptions. The “honest Iago” is actually pure evil, and in the final scene of the play, he pushes everyone towards their tragic end, including the leading character Othello. Iago’s opinion of himself is very high, he enjoy being evil, and seem to have his way in outwitting everyone to the very end. Iago is the kind of person who can lie without remorse and turn on the appearances of being funny and charming at the right moments. At the outset, Iagos official reason for his hatred of the Moor, Othello, comes from the fact that Othello passed over him in choosing a lieutenant. However, as the play rolls on, it becomes more apparent that there are other motives such as greed, jealousy, and the suspicion that Othello is sleeping with his wife. However, these are only excuses for his actions because his real contempt for Othello is motivated by bigotry. Although Iago knows how to hide his bigotry well, but the fact that Othello is black and is his superior annoys him to no end. This motivates him to go on a secret mission to destroy Othello, and various others who gets in the way.
As mentioned above, one of the major reasons for Iago’s hatred of Othello is due to being overlooked for promotion to the lieutenant. Whether it is valid or not, Iago truly believes that he is the most deserving person for the promotion. However, the promotion went to Cassio who, according to Iago, is only an arithmetician that has had no experience on the battle field “That never set a squadron in the field,/Nor the division of a battle knows/More than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric,/Wherein the toged consuls can propose/As masterly as he. Mere prattle, without practice” (CITE). Iago further justifies his worthiness for the job by claiming that there were these three very important persons who, out of their own concerns, asked Othello to give Iago the job “Three great ones of the city, / In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,
Off-cappd to him” (CITE). However, due to Iago’s deceptive nature, most likely it was Iago was trying to influence the outcome. Therefore, it bothers him that despite of his hard work, all his hopes are destroyed “I know my price, I am worth no worse a place” (CITE). Iago is an egotistical man and his self-esteem is hurt.
Iago’s own reason for his hatred of Othello is due to being passed over for a promotion, but Iago may have hated Othello even before that Iago despises the fact that he is beneath a Moor. In Iago’s bigoted mind, he considers his superior, Othello, as being of an inferior race. His bigotry can be felt in one of his conversations with Roderigo “And I -- God bless the mark! -- his Moorships ancient” (CITE). Iago uses the word Moorship to make fun of both Othellos character and his African ethnicity. Furthermore, Iago detests his own pretending to be a faithful follower of Othello “It is as sure as you are Roderigo, / Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago. In following him, I follow but myself;” (CITE). Clearly this is an irrational prejudice from a bigoted mind.
It can be said that greed is one of Iago’s main motives. This is evident in one of their meetings that Roderigo pleads to Iago “Iago, who hast had my purse/As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.” (CITE) Roderigo, who is in love with Othello’s wife, Desdemona, has been paying Iago money to help him win over Desdemonas heart. Iago mentions money on many occasions, and in one of these occasions, he explicitly asks to be paid “put money in thy purse” (CITE). However, Iago’s bigotry provides the real reason why he is willing the help Doderigo Iago does not think Othello has the right to marry the innocent and very white Desdemona. This is apparent when Iago shouts to her father, Barbantio “Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe” (CITE), and he continues “youll have your nephews neigh to you; youll have coursers for cousins, and jennets for germans (CITE). Iago’s tone and derogatory remarks clearly show his bigotry that fans his hatred of Othello.
Another one of the motives for Iago’s hatred of Othello is an indirect one The jealousy towards Cassio’s promotion compounded by the jealousy towards his good looks and overall appeal to others. As Iago says of Cassio “He hath a daily beauty in his life/That makes me ugly” (CITE), which suggests that Iago feels Cassio is far more attractive and charming than he is, therefore this makes Iago feel ugly. This is the only instance in the play that Iago actually feels inferior to someone. Ironically, at the same time Iago does not feel inferior to Othello. Again, this is Iago’s discriminatory mind at work.
It is evident that Iago’s hatred of Othello is partly due to his suspicion that Othello is sleeping with his wife, Emilia “I hate the Moor And it is thought abroad, that twixt my sheets He has done my office” (CITE) Although Iago might not believe it himself, or care, the thoughts of others who might be thinking that such affair is taken place is enough for Iago to want retribution. By all accounts, Othello and Emilia have not a bit of interest in each other, but Iago’s irrational bigoted mind accompanied by his view of women as whores, convinced himself that it is true. Therefore, he wants revenge and he won’t be satisfied “Till I am evend with him, wife for wife, Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor / At least into a jealousy so strong/That judgment cannot cure” (CITE) Hence, he contemplates having sex with Othello’s wife as an ultimate form of revenge. However, as he put it, if he cannot accomplish this, he can at least put Othello in a jealous rage that Othello cannot get out of. Iago’s aim is to inspire such jealousy in Othello as to provoke Othello into irrationality, and in the hope that the consequence of such can lead to Othello’s downfall. By the end of the play, Iago accomplishes his aim, and both Othello and his wife pay with their lives as the outcome.
On the surface of Shakespeare’s play Othello, it is easy to believe the reasons cited by Iago as to why he is out to destroy Othello. However, it takes a more carefully analysis to realize that one cannot take Iago at his word and most of his reasons do not add up. In the play, there are no evident to support Iago’s claim that he is more worthy of the lieutenant position than Cassio, Othello has slept with his wife, and he is actually jealous of such. Hence, hidden underneath there must be some other reason for his irrational and extreme behavior for hating Othello. Upon closer inspection, many references to Othello’s race accompanied by Iago’s subtle yet powerful derogatory remarks can be found. These findings uncover the deeper motive and reveal its ugly head, and they point to bigotry.
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