Honest Iago (Othello) essays

Honest Iago (Othello) essays In William Shakespeares Othello, there were many characters that played important roles in telling this story, but perhaps none as important as the character Iago. Iago presented himself as faithful and trustworthy, but underneath lied deception and betrayal. Three characteristics attributed best to his personality, Iagos motivation, his honesty, and his self-esteem. Discussions of Iago's reasons for his hatred of Othello often begin with the fact that in choosing a lieutenant, Othello passed over Iago in favor of Cassio, but Iago may have hated Othello even before that. Roderigo opens the play by exclaiming to Iago, "Tush! Never tell me; I take it much unkindly that thou, Iago, who hast had my purse As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this. The "this" is the elopement of Othello and Desdemona. Roderigo has been giving Iago money to help him into Desdemona's favor, and he assumes that Iago knew about the elopement. Iago didn't know, which must have been embarrassing. Iago tells Roderigo that the elopement was a surprise, and Roderigo replies, "Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate". Then Iago tells Roderigo about being passed over for promotion. So Iago must have told Roderigo of his hatred for Othello before this, and maybe before he was passed over for promotion. If it was earlier that Iago told Roderigo that he hated Othe llo, that could have been part of Iago's scam, but it also could have been the truth.. After Othello has left for Cyprus, Iago has a soliloquy in which he says that he hates Othello, "And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets He has done my office". "Abroad" means "everywhere," and Iago's "office" (function) between his sheets is to have sex with his wife. Iago is saying that everyone thinks that Othello is having an affair with Iago's wife. The rest of the play makes it clear that none of this is true; Othello and Iago's wife are not even vaguely intereste...