Othello Play: Character Analysis

         Shakespeare characters are interesting and have their own goals and working structure, but it was not hard to me to make a decision of what character I would describe. Iago was the one that capture the attention of the audience more. I chose this character because he acts or the way he acts is similar to many people nowadays, too bad but truly, I must say. Other thing that caught my attention about this character was that he is the only one or the most that makes soliloquies in the play. Iago is such an interesting character; you can perceive it all along while you get involved in the play. The Jealousy that Iago feels against the Moor and his desire of revenge motivate him to become a delightful villain. A villain always is focused in reach whatever his goal is, no matter what he has to do. Sometimes the motivations of a villain are revenge, make money or just a desire. In the next dialogue of Iago we can see this exposed and an Iago focused just in getting revenge. “I hate the Moor: my cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason. Let us be conjunctive in our revengeagainst him: if thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport.”- Othello play

            Iago knows villain business very well, that is well demonstrated in every move that he made, like when he make the plan to kill Michael Cassio and when Roderigo is fighting with  Michael,  Igo goes and hurt Michael and then return to the scene calling for help; he is playing both sides without problem . When he said to Roderigo “thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport” he is telling us that he likes the way he is acting, he enjoys being villain and this is demonstrated in this other dialogue “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:For I mine own gain’d knowledge should profane, If I would time expend with such a snipe. But for my sport and profit”.

         One of the things that make him a good villain is his extraordinary way to persuade others. “Put money in thy purse; follow thou the wars; defeat thy favour with a usurped beard; I say, put money in thy purse. It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor, put money in thy purse,–nor he his to her: it was a violent commencement, and thou shalt see an answerable sequestration:–put butmoney in thy purse”. This dialogue of Iago demonstrates the way he persuades and convinces another character of the play. He convinces him to give him money and follow him in every plan that he makes, Iago make him the promise that he will help him to reach what he want, but that just a lie to make him thrust him and this way reach his own goals. He uses people and takes advantage of them to achieve their goals. By this way of acting we can think that he was a supporter of the phrase “En la guerra y en el amor todo se vale” because he does not care if he has to pass trough others, even his wife, to get what he wants.

         Other thing that develops the villain image of Iago is that he doesn’t love anyone; he does not even feel piety for the people around him, even when he kills her wife, he does not feel any guilty. He is a selfish man, seeking to take possession of what he think, is rightfully for him. For Iago doing all the things he does to reach their goals is like a game that he has to win.

        Iago was smart doing huge plans and thinking strategies, but he doesn’t develop his knowledge enough to think about the consequences of his acts. His jealousy does not make him    realize all the horrible things he was making and the destruction that those acts created. His revenge was completed, but he paid a price for that.  He was a villain until the end; for all the things he ends like he deserved.

 

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