The Truth Behind Iago

 

            Othello has many characters but the most interesting to me was Iago. Through the length of this play I was so intrigued with his personality and the way he pursuit what he thinks deserved. Iago wants Othello’s position. Exits many reasons to believe what are the real intention behind his actions; could be envy, revenge, the need for attention and recognition, the power that gave him and the respect could be some of the main purposes for all the events.

            Envy is a sensation that Iago feels deep inside because he seem to want all. He knows that the position of General will make him somebody and that he had to work hard no matter what he got to do to obtain it. Iago manipulates Roderigo, taking advantage of his ingenuousness and of the love he felt for Desdemona. He presented to him as a good friend but he really was after his money. Iago develop anger through Othello for not giving him the Lieutenant position. He knows that having the position will make him one step closer to be a General.

            Iago starts to elaborate a plan to get revenge of Othello. His target was Michael Cassio, he wanted to make justice because it wasn’t fair to him that someone with no experience in battles is ahead of him, by acting like a friend that everyone should trust he manipulates and manage to be by his side all the time. Destroying the marriage of Othello and Desdemona was a goal to him. He takes advantage of the trust of Othello and creates all this lies of unfaithfulness, using the friendship of Cassio and Desdemona as the base. He broke the marriage of two persons who love each other a lot corrupting the mind of Othello and that was satisfactory for him. The people who felt betrayed started hurting the others, Othello strangulate his loved wife and Roderigo tries to kill Cassio.

            Iago believe that the General position should be of a white man, for him the race of Othello deserves to be at the bottom with no attention and recognition. That’s one of the reasons he begin to think that it wasn’t fair how the people love Othello so much even as him being the only black person around. He wants to have all eyes on him and feel the power of controlling the soldiers. Also he desires to be respect and recognized as a great combatant and to have people serving him. All this perks came with the General position, the main purpose of his ill will.

Since Othello kills his wife, he would no longer be able to continue as a General. Iago knows that with Othello and Cassio out of the map, he had all the possibilities to be the General. A brilliant scene created by the sick mind of Iago worked perfectly He nearly gets away with his plan but at the end he got caught and exposed. This huge tragedy destroys the life of everyone.