Taylor Monfort-Eaton
ERH-321WX
Help Received:
10/6/13
Othello, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, is considered by some to be the perfect play.
Some scholars say that not one line in Othello is wasted, and everything a character says moves the plot
forward somehow. Although I have no way of judging that, I do have strong feelings towards the main
villain in the play, Iago. To me, Iago is the single greatest villain ever created in a story. Iago is cold,
calculating, and worst of all his intentions seem to be for fun and not for any real purpose. He messes
with Othello’s life for trivial reasons, even going so far as making Othello kill his wife through an
elaborate ruse. Although Iago manages to affect almost every character through the course of the play,
He has two deceptions that stand out above all others, those being his manipulation of Brabantio to
make him hate Othello, and making Othello believe that Desdemona is cheating on him.
At the beginning of the play, Iago is talking to his sidekick, Roderigo, about how much he hates
Othello. The two hatch a plan to make Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, hate Othello. In order to make
this happen, Rodergio and Iago stand outside of Brabantio’s house and talk about how Desdemona and
Othello are making love. “I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter/ And the Moor are now
making the beast with two backs” (I, i, 126-127). This is such a brilliant ploy because this plays not only
into all of Iago’s future plans, but also all of Brabantio’s fears. Sure, he likes Othello enough, but to
actually think that he and his daughter are having premarital sex in his house must shake Brabantio a
bit. This helps to set all of the other plots in motion because as any man w ill tell you, as soon as you do
not have the Father’s support, you have nothing at all.
Iago’s other phenomenal deception is making Othello believe that his fiancée, Desdemona, is
cheating on him with Cassio. He does this through a web of stealing and lying, first by having his wife
Emilia steal Desdemona’s handkerchief, then by hiding the handkerchief with Cassio and getting Othello
to believe the whole fabricated tale. He does this by subtly indicating that Cassio is jealous of the
relationship “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy/ It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock/ The meat
it feeds on” (III, iii, 191-193). This is another brilliant ploy because who hasn’t felt jealous before? This
ploy hits basic human emotions, and that’s what makes it so fantastic.
Othello is a great story for many reasons, from the plot to the allusions and the ability of the
reader to relate with the characters. But for me, the shining spot in the play will always be the way that
Iago is able manipulate everyone around them. Whether he is convincing father’s against relationships
or lying his way through a cheating deception, Iago will always be one of my favorite villains in any form.