‘Iago’s actions are those of an unjustly wronged character’. To
what extent do you agree?
From the outset of the play, Shakespeare deliberately positions Iago as an
archetypal Machiavellian villain who catalyses Othello’s downfall and
utilises the other characters within the play as pawns to further his own
agenda and antagonistic objectives. However, it is also possible to posit
the view that Iago can be seen as an ‘unjustly wronged’ individual, whose
actions and exploitation of others occurs as a result of his attempt to
regain his former position.
On one hand, Iago is depicted as a nefarious individual whose primarily
function is to corrode the relationship between Desdemona and Othello. At
the very beginning of the play, Iago vows to take away Desdemona’s
‘virtue’ and turn it to ‘pitch’, portraying Iago as a picture of devilish
corruption. Shakespeare establishes Iago as a vice through the
juxtaposition of the ‘virtue’ of Desdemona, which will be eventually
twisted and distorted by Iago into a dark, unpleasant ‘pitch’, exposing a
total eclipse of her moral goodness at the hands of Iago. Arguably, Iago’s
goal to taint Desdemona’s reputation is reminiscent of the falling of an
angel, associating him with sin and depravity, enhancing the villainy of
Iago. However, it could be argued that Iago’s attempt to debase
Desdemona’s reputation, is seen by him as a deliverance of Biblical, Old
Testament, justice. Iago holds the mistaken view that the ‘lusty Moor hath
leapt into his seat’ believing that Othello has, ‘done his office’, by
cuckholding him. In a sense, Iago represents the severity of cuckoldry in
the Jacobean era as it destroyed the masculine reputation of husbands.
The metaphor of Othello leaping into Iago’s ‘seat’ connotes the usurping
of a throne, suggesting that Iago’s appetite for revenge is fuelled by
wrongdoings committed against him. Perhaps, Iago’s revenge is driven by
the destruction of his own reputation. However, taken with the derogatory
epithet ‘lusty moor’, Iago’s actions can be seen as vitriolic and malicious
and in this respect it is hard to view him as an ‘unjustly wronged
individual’.
Alternatively, it could be argued that Iago’s actions transcend the
purposes of just revenge, instead surfacing as an exposure of his inner
malevolence. Iago revels in chaos and disorder, thus being presented as
an archetypal malcontent. Shakespeare positions Iago as a malignant
force of destruction. In act 3, as Iago witnesses the progression of his
schemes, he exclaims, ‘Work on my medicine. Work!’ which associates
him with illness and infection. Iago associates his malevolent actions as
‘medicine’ which cultivates an oxymoronic paradox as he fails to heal
others, instead poisoning them and infecting them with his sinister
intentions. However, it could be argued that Iago’s ‘medicine’ serves to
only heal himself and provide him with a sense of relief, suggesting that
his actions are reminiscent of a drug. The use of the exclamative ‘Work!’
conjures a growing sense of excitement at the consequences of his
villainy. Moreover, Iago’s delight in the suffering of others is reinforced by
