Matt Kaiser

Iago: The Fiendish Friend

In "Othello," Shakespeare presents the audience with Iago, a representation of pure evil. Iago is so vile that he makes the infamous Mr. Hyde appear saintly by comparison. This villain single-handedly destroys Othello, Desdemona, Cassio and Roderigo, ruining their lives without blinking an eye [SM1] . But why? What motivates this wretched human being to do what he does? Is it one of the motives Iago himself suggests, or something more sinister?

The first motive Iago offers for his behavior is that Cassio was promoted instead of him. He feels that Othello, by selecting another lieutenant, has wronged him. This does explain the eagerness with which Iago pursues the ruination of Cassio, but this motive cannot be all. First and foremost, Iago already holds a position of high regard. He is Othello's banner man [SM2] , and he is clearly trusted. Othello shares with Iago the secret of his wedding to Desdemona, and entrusts Iago, not Cassio, to care for his wife while he prepares for battle. In addition, Iago quickly dispatches with Cassio. By the end of the second act, Cassio is sufficiently ruined and Iago is in a position to take his place, and yet he persists in his plans. Furthermore, during Iago's soliloquy’[SM3] s, the only time this character is even a little honest, he never mentions this as a motive. In fact, this reasoning is only mentioned to Roderigo, who Iago is committed to deceiving. Therefore, it cannot be jealousy of rank which drives Iago to such villainy.

Not long after he tells Roderigo that he is jealous of Cassio, he reveals to the audience that he actually suspects his wife, Emilia, has betrayed him with Othello. Near the end of the play, Emilia confesses that she might, if the price was right, cheat on her husband, so one can see how Iago might be suspicious of her. However, Iago himself admits this is only a rumor, a vague suspicion, yet he claims that suspicion and rumor are reason enough for him. Even taking into account Iago's inherent nastiness, this reasoning seems flimsy. If Iago truly wanted to have Othello "wife for wife," wouldn't he have tried to work his manipulative magic on Desdemona? The man is capable of bending all sorts of men and women to his will, and the task of seducing Desdemona cannot be beyond his abilities. Even when she is committed to his care, and he is given an opportunity to influence her, he chooses not to work his magic [SM4] . It seems that this self-confessed motive does not fully explain Iago's actions.

A third, less obvious motive for Iago's behavior has to do with his relationship to Othello. Iago is a man who delights in playing with the emotions of others. He confesses as much when he admits would not waste time on Roderigo but for "sport and profit." It is possible that Othello, a paragon of self-control, has proven himself beyond Iago's abilities. In this light, Iago's vehement "I hate the Moor!" takes on a different meaning. He does not hate Othello for causing him any harm; he hates Othello for not playing by his rules. Othello's ability to maintain composure under great stress must be frustrating to Iago, like a jack-in-the-box that never pops, no matter how much Iago turns his crank. Also, Iago’s frequent references to himself as the weaver of webs implies that he perceives himself as a spider, a predator that captures and consumes human flies. Othello represents to Iago a very large and very uppity fly that seeks to become a spider. Such an offense against nature, in Iago’s world, must be destroyed [SM5] .

Despite all deduction, Iago’s motives remain mysterious to the end. All the evidence and conjecture in the world cannot easily explain why a man would act in such a manner. Iago himself refuses to tell both Othello and the audience in his final line: “Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth, I never will speak word [SM6] .”

Thoughts on the Movie

The Laurence Fishburn-Oliver Parker Othello used several interesting techniques to reveal Iago’s duplicity. Shakespeare’s adept liar is given a great amount of screen time, and his deceitful nature is repeatedly revealed through lighting, camera work, and changes of scene.

The first scene in the movie, where Desdemona is rushing to her secret wedding, is particularly significant in general terms of deceit. The scene is dark is dark and foggy, and while Desdemona hurries to her wedding, people in gondola’s hide their faces. One person is wearing a mask, while another hides behind a curtain. This implies a sense of the clandestine, that these people have secrets, or things to hide. This low lighting, mysterious atmosphere, is maintained until the scene in the senate chamber. Here the light is not bright, but sufficient, and the truth about Othello and Desdemona comes to light. In the light, Iago’s lies to Brabantio have no power, and Othello is allowed to go free. Later, when Othello returns to Venice in triumph, the light is brighter still. It is a brilliant, beautiful day of joy. But wait, there is Iago, lying and scheming in broad daylight! What’s more, he, sworn enemy of Othello, cheers louder and sooner than anyone at Othello’s success. In this scene, Iago shows his brazen confidence. He does not need to defend himself by hiding in the shadow; he has an armor of lies to protect him.

Later, Iago’s control is demonstrated through a pair of scene changes. Immediately after Othello rebukes Cassio, there is a complicated transition. The camera focuses on Cassio’s face, and the lighting changes, and only Iago stands with Cassio. Here is where Iago makes his move on Cassio, and, in the transition of the scene, one can see the transition of power over Cassio pass from Othello to Iago. In that moment, Cassio stops being an agent of Othello, and becomes the unwitting thrall of Iago. This technique is repeated later, when Iago is whispering in Othello’s ear about Desdemona’s infidelity. The audience sees Iago whispering in Othello’s ear, and the scene switches to a flashback of the dance, where Desdemona dances with Cassio and Othello. However, Desdemona’s dance with Othello is significantly absent, so all the audience sees is Desdemona having an intimate moment with Cassio. During this flashback, Iago, out of focus, whispers in Othello’s ear. When the flashback is over, Othello and Iago have moved to a dressing room, and Othello is clothed differently. This implies that time has passed, possibly without even Othello noticing, being so entranced by Iago’s fanciful tale of love and betrayal. Here again, one sees control pass from Othello to Iago, except this time the control is over Othello himself.

Iago’s relationship with the camera is interesting. He frequently delivers everything from little asides to full-blown speeches to the camera, and by proxy, the audience. However, that can all be said of the original script. Where it becomes interesting is the significant glances he makes towards the camera. When he and Roderigo embrace, he glances towards the camera as if to say “I don’t mean this, I’m just using him.” When Iago breaks the fourth wall like this, the other characters are unaware. The audience is Iago’s intimate friend, privy to his most private thoughts. It is therefore unusual that the film also makes use of voice dubbing to allow Iago to have private thoughts when he is approaching Othello on the beach. This seems to conflict with Iago’s love for self-revelation. Here, Iago is not telling his thoughts to the audience, they are just overhearing a private musing. In his own perverse fashion, Iago fills the role of the interested narrator, explaining the events that unfold through his own perspective.

Iago’s fiendish brilliance is aptly displayed in this production. His dual nature is demonstrated again and again, and his ability to turn people to his will is beautifully depicted in all its horror [SM7] .