This is an A* full mark exemplar on Iago's villainy and questioning whether his plot failed. This essay is 25/25 marks for AQA English Lit B Paper 1a. Covering the whole play and critically analysing Iago's role as villain.
Although he is portrayed as a highly skilled villain ultimately Iago’s plot fails him.
(25 marks)
Iago’s villainy seems to succeed through his effective exploitation of characters in the play. In
Act 1 Scene 3, Iago plays on Roderigo’s vulnerability “I will incontinently drown myself” by
cunningly subverting Roderigo’s helplessness to his own advantage. Under the pretence of
‘friend’ he repetitively instructs Roderigo to “put money in thy purse”, through assuring him
that Desdemona will find “error in her choice”. Iago manipulatively states they should be
“conjunctive in our revenge” but after Roderigo’s exit, his soliloquy reveals his successful
villainy “make my fool my purse”. Shakespeare suggests Iago has controlled his “snipe” and
his plot is going according to plan. In Act 2 Scene 1, he further utilises Roderigo by ordering
him to “find some occasion to anger Cassio” and in the drunken brawl scene of Act 2 scene
3, he has successfully set up his plot by making Cassio drunk and employing Roderigo. Thus,
enabling Iago to effortlessly watch his devilish machinations become reality without even
having to intervene, “my boat sails freely with wind and steam”. Therefore, Roderigo is used
in Iago’s plot “strikes Roderigo”, and also faces the consequences, whilst Iago simply and
pathetically exclaims for “help!”.
Through his exploitation of Roderigo, Iago is able to ensure Cassio’s demotion “but never
more be officer of mine” thus conveying how his villainous methods are initially successful,
and how he is beginning to exert influence on the protagonist Othello from whom he seeks
ultimate revenge. In Act 2 Scene 1, Iago reveals his desire to “diet my revenge” and get even
with Othello “wife for wife”, further his suspicions of the “lusty moor” culminate in his
intention to place him into a “jealousy so strong that judgement cannot cure”. Furthermore,
his plot is effective in that his aims to “pour pestilence into his (Othello’s) ear” is clearly
achieved through the temptation scene of Act 3 Scene 3. Iago makes careful comments “Ha!
I like not that” and cleverly warns Othello of jealousy “green eyed monster which doth mock
the meat it feeds on”, in order to ensure the success of his plot. Iago instructs Othello to
“observe her well with Cassio” and in Act 3 scene 3, Othello is officially under Iago’s
command as he adopts his animalistic language “prove her haggard” and takes on
murderous thoughts “I’ll tear her to pieces”. Shakespeare clearly establishes how the
characters are each a pawn to Iago’s plot whereby even the protagonist, Othello “kneels” at
Iago’s command signifying his successful villainy. Furthermore, Iago carefully plays on
Othello’s hamartia, jealousy, particularly when it reaches its peak in Act 4 scene 1. He
engineers a conversation between himself and Cassio regarding Bianca to be misinterpreted
as Desdemona. Othello blindly accepts the false truths, assuming the worst of his wife “he
tells how she plucked him to my chamber” and is determined to kill “ I will chop her into
messes”. His murderous thoughts even take some physical form as he “strikes her” at the
end of Act 4 scene 1, thus reflecting Iago’s successful subverting of a loving relationship into
a destructive one.
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