The play Othello, written by Shakespeare in the early 1600s narrates the tragic downfall of the protagonist Othello, due to the scheming of his ancient Iago whom he trusts too well. Critics like Coleridge have described the antagonist Iago as being ‘close to the devil’ due to their ‘motiveless malignancy’ and desire for the downfall of their superior. In the play, Iago’s success takes the form of ruining ‘The Moor’ Othello who kills his wife, endeavours to kill his leuitenant, and is stripped of his authority and power - leading him to commit suicide. The cause of Iago’s success is his immaculate planning and his ability to manipulate and fool those around him - these skills stem from his perceptive understanding of human nature which forms the foundation of his success.
Contrary to critic Honigmann who argues that Iago ‘never understood nor felt the spiritual impulses’ of loyalty, love and friendship - Iago’s success in achieving his peculiar end is rooted in his perceptive understanding of these ‘spiritual impulses’ which comprise human nature. One can understand why Honigmann chose to interpret the character of Iago as one unable to resonate and comprehend the purest human emotions due to his desire for vengeance which manifests in his intense will to ‘serve [his] turn upon’ the Moor who he believes has done him a great injustice - having ‘twixt [his] sheets’ and denied him a promotion. However, from the very opening of the play in Act 1.1. The audience are notified of Iago’s understanding of the human nature. When speaking to Roderigo of how much he ‘hates [the Moor] as hell pains’ he claims that for necessity’s sake he must show out ‘a flag sign of love’. Iago uses the analogy of servants who ‘line their coats’ whilst pretending to be faithful to their masters - feigning loyalty and servitude for self gain and pleasure - to explain his current situation. Through Iago’s discourse the audience are able to perceive his character and his intentions relating to those around him. Iago is capable of manipulation, he sees how loyalty, love, and friendship leaves one vulnerable, so he chooses to be the abuser of these emotions rather than the abused. His understanding of these spiritual impulses which he does not partake in, allow him to manipulate the emotions and thoughts of others whilst still remaining in good favour with them. In fact, throughout Act 2, the term ‘honest’ in relation to Iago is repeated severally by a diverse range of characters - including those who he intends to ruin. Iago succeeds in his ‘peculiar end’ through his ability to maintain the facade of being ‘honest’, friendly, and trustworthy and his ability to keep up this act is rooted in his perceptive understanding of human nature.
Iago is the chief orchestrator of events in the novel - he uses his broad knowledge of the supporting characters and the protagonist to instigate conflict between them. Honigman argues that Iago enjoys a ‘godlike sense of power’ and this is most strongly illustrated through his extensive knowledge on the true nature and insecurities of other characters. In Act 1.1. Iago notes that Cassio is ‘a fellow almost damned in a fair wife’ and uses Cassio’s unbridled lust as a way to ‘ensnare’ him within his ‘web’ of schemes. At the beginning of Act 2 Iago pollutes Cassio’s mind with crude images of Desdemona through the declarative ‘happiness to their sheets’. He also encourages praise for Desdemona from Cassio who refers to her as the ‘Divine
Desdemona’. Here we see how knowledge presented about Cassio’s weaknesses in Act 1 are actualised by Iago in Act 2, as in fact, it is the sight of a ‘fair wife’ that damns Cassio as Iago uses the friendship of Cassio and Desdemona to arouse Othello’s suspicions of infidelity. Furthermore, Iago applies this same method towards Othello most powerfully in Act 3 where he intends to distort his image of Desdemona as ‘pure’ and label her as the ‘cunning whore of Venice’. Iago notes Othello’s ‘unbookish jealousy’ and his limited cultural capital as an outsider to Venice (him being a Moor and not a Venetian). Iago presents Desdemona’s infidelity as plausible and he supports his speculations by claiming that he knows ‘our country’s disposition well’ whilst implying Othello does not. Through his knowledge of Othello’s weakness - his otherness - Iago is able to sow seeds of doubt within his mind which lead him to resolve that his wife ‘must die’ in order for ‘Justice’ to be fulfilled. Iago’s detailed planning - the demoting of Cassio, his closeness to Desdemona, and Othello’s aroused speculations - are a result of his detailed understanding of the limitations and relationships of and between characters. Without this knowledge of each character’s individual nature, Iago would not be successful in achieving his goal of revenge as the methods of manipulation he used varied from character to character.
However, Iago’s ability to understand the human nature of those around him does not mean that he himself abides by this nature. As established earlier through refuting Honigmann’s interpretation of Iago, the antagonist’s refusal to live by the spiritual impulses of human nature do not denote his inability to understand them. One could potentially argue that Iago’s ‘motiveless malignancy’ appears simply because he fails to align himself with the conventionalities of human nature - these being loyalty, trust, and honesty. Through his frequent asides which occur across the acts, the audience are privy to his plans and schemes. A sense of dramatic irony is created as a result and the antagonist builds rapport with them. This mild feeling of trust and connection established between the tragic villain and the audience may leave them partially blinded to the full capacity of Iago’s evil and the disproportionate nature of his crimes to his perceived offence. Iago’s desire for ‘vengeance’ to ‘arise from the hollow hell’ and for ‘virtue’ to turn to ‘pitch’ are testaments to the depth of his ‘hate’ for Othello and his alignment with hell - due to the hellish imagery that frequents his speech. During Shakespeare’s time this imagery would have been taboo and unorthodox due to the highly conservative and Christian audience. However, they work to establish Iago as strikingly different to the other characters - he appears soulless. Whilst Othello, during the climactic point of Act 3.3. Uses religious and legalistic imagery to justify his immoral crimes - ‘tis the cause …. Justice to break her sword’, Iago uses mainly hellish imagery to justify his intent. Through the language he uses Shakespeare sets him apart from the other characters and reinforces the idea that Iago is incapable of possessing the virtues of human nature and can only mimic them. Iago’s inability to truly possess these qualities does not impede his ability to manipulate them, and may even enhance it. For it must be easier for Iago to manipulate honesty, loyalty, and trust if he has no conscience which reprimands him for doing so. Coleridge’s interpretation of Iago as ‘being next to the devil’ appears to explain his wicked nature which he justifies with the powers of hell - Iago has no virtue or soul - he is void of a conscience and can only mimic the characteristics of those who have one in order to achieve his ‘peculiar end’.
Ultimately, through Iago’s in depth understanding of the shortcomings of those around him, his perceptive understanding of human nature is evidenced. Furthermore, Shakespeare, through presenting this understanding as the premise of his planning, attributes his success to his knowledge of the virtues of mankind and his ability to manipulate them. However, Iago’s ability to manipulate these virtues does not mean that he possesses them himself - in fact - by surrounding the antagonist with hellish imagery, Shakespeare implies that Iago himself is soulless and incapable of truly inhabiting these virtues of the human nature.
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