Iago - the Machiavellian

Othello – Iago the Machiavellian


Set in a hotbed of jealousy, hatred and mistrust, “Othello” is a classic tragedy that explores the destruction of a noble spirit. Through a complicated web of miscommunication, lies and deceit perpetrated by Iago, Othello is tricked into believing his wife, Desdemona, has been unfaithful to him. Othello murders her, though she continues to profess her innocence. When he realizes the truth, Othello takes his own life. This essay will try to explain what I believe motivates Iago’s actions throughout the play.

Iago is an entity of pure evil he takes pleasure in the way he can manipulate and control the other characters emotions. He has no typical motive for what he does, such as revenge as he doesn’t really care about the outside world and its revolutions he only cares about the power he wields or can wield.

In this essay I will be talking about my views on Iago’s nature and motives (or the lack of.) Iago is usually portrayed by mos...