Shakespeare’s Othello is another fantastic piece of literature from his series of literary works. One of the outstanding characters is Iago, the ensign in the Venetian army. Iago is a man who portrays an image and personality that most people would want to hate. He is the antagonist whose motives are unclear, and actions are more like informed by malice and hatred. His dislike for Othello, the army general, is well documented across the play. From the onset, he conflicts with his boss. However, he covers all that with a fake show of love and concern. He acts like the most loyal soldier and friend to Othello, but all that is in a bid to achieve his motives. Iago should is a junior motivated by vengeance against his boss and a desire to rise to the top of the pyramid in the soldiers’ ranks, which he feels he must achieve by hook or crook.
Iago the Vindictive Ensign and his Motives
From the onset, Iago is unhappy with his boss Othello. He is angry because he felt bypassed in the promotion to the rank of lieutenant, where another junior officer, Cassio, was promoted to that rank. In an expression of the pain of Cassio’s promotion he says;
“One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, A fellow almost dammn’d in a fair wife: That never set a squadron in the field, Nor the decision of a battle knows more than a spinster” (1.1.20). Those are the words of a bitter man. Anyone who crosses ranks with Iago is likely to be a recipient of his wrath and ulterior motives. He is a selfish person who wants everything to go his way, and any act contrary to that is unacceptable to him. His line of vengeance touches on people like Cassio, Othello, Emilia, his wife, Roderigo, and Desdemona. They all, at one point, suffer his wrath.
Iago’s appetite for revenge has no particular cause, and he enjoys wreaking havoc and causing damage on his trail. Whatever he does and plans is surrounded by the desire to score against his colleagues. It is difficult to suspect him because he carries the tag of honesty with him.
“Damn it; you’re not listening to me! I never dreamed this was happening—if you find out I did, you can go ahead and hate me” (1.1.10)
In the line above, he speaks to Roderigo and even implicates himself just to show how true to his word he is. The people trust him quite a lot, and he uses this for manipulation and treachery. He harbors hate that he never shows, and only he knows the desires he has at heart against those around him. His way of doing things is well-calculated that he indicates no sense of betrayal. One of his pawns in this game is Roderigo, who is hell-bent on getting the love of his life, Desdemona from the grasp of Othello. Iago exploits this desperation to get jewels and money from Roderigo.
Vengeance looks like a cause of natural selection for Iago. He does not even struggle planning evil against others, and he does it with such ease and aplomb. Tudball (29) says that Iago takes damage and destruction so calmly that they do not bother him like they are a big deal. When he struck a deal to help Roderigo get the love of his life, he knew that his path had mapped itself out to the end of the game. He would use this to bring down Othello and in a cruel way. Iago’s way of scheming things was second to none. He leaves no element of suspicion in his dealings with Roderigo.
Other than the understanding that his motives are those of vengeance, Iago shows that he is a brilliant schemer. He is probably out to show everyone that had he been promoted to the position of lieutenant, he would have quickly brought the smart mind to the decision-making table (Tudball 30). He feels shortchanged, and his motives could be to prove that he was the right person for the job. He wants to show his bosses that he is smart enough and should have been the most appropriate person for promotion when that position arose. Top ranks in an organization like the army require smart thinkers and people who can come up with quick plans to repel the enemy, and Iago possesses that adequately.
Once bitten, twice shy. It is an adage that makes great sense with the situation of Iago in this story. He could be out on revenge, but it could be that he is trying to suppress the pain of being hurt by his boss. He claims twice in the opening stages that Othello may have slept with his wife. “It is thought abroad that ’twixt my sheets / He has done my office” (I.iii.369–370). The thought of a man sleeping with his wife and then bypassing him for the position of lieutenant could have awoken the sleeping ghosts in the life of Iago. He could have gone on a vengeance rampage to suppress the pain and imaginations of betrayal from his wife and boss. Towards the end of the play, Iago kills his wife. The pain of the earlier betrayal could have partly informed the murder.
The tireless and concerted chase after Othello is not only informed by the hatred for being overlooked in promotion, but he also wanted to revenge on him “wife for wife” (II.i.286) in response to what he was claiming that Othello slept with his wife. The push must be informed by something more profound than mere hatred. One should see Iago as a man who had purposed to rise to the top of the pyramid by all means possible. Everyone ahead of him was an obstacle for his rise to the top. Therefore, they had to be eliminated or shoved aside to pave the way for the increase of Iago. His combination of ruthlessness and wit was perfect in the chase of the glory he wanted. Apart from all the vengeance he showed and exerted, there must have been an end game to it all.
Being at the apex of power comes with great sacrifice and many obstacles. Being as sharp as Iago was, he knew the only to the top would be mind games and manipulation. It is an interpretation that people would likely accept. It is one that resonates with present-day power struggles in different institutions. Bloody coups are a thing of the past, and people use all the witty means in their bag of tricks to outsmart their rivals to the topmost positions. It does not only happen in political power struggles and organizational management structures, but also in wealth accumulation competitions. People will go into great depth to outsmart their rivals, with the end justifying their means of getting there. They employ underhand and crude tricks along the way, without any surety that it will end in their favor. Most have finished as the villains, the same way it all ended for Iago. Some of the tactics do not always fall into place, and if the stars do not align for one, they end up as villains.
Conclusion
Iago is so many things in the play, but one that stands out is his intelligence. The path to the top could be rough and bumpy, and when the end of the process so blinds one, they are likely to trip along the way. A close look at the case of Iago can show that the handkerchief betrayed him and his intentions. Just that uncomplicated part of the process invalidated all his effort to try a hand in vengeance at Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and Cassio. Had he managed to get to the end of the plan; he would have eliminated those above him. His probable move of getting to the top of the pyramid would have come closer to reality. He would have found a way to occupy the top position. However, one wrong move ended his dream.
