Iago Character Analysis

Rachel Igoe

Mr. George

English Honors

1 December 2010

Character Analysis

Outwardly, Iago is a seemingly loyal character but internally he is deceiving and malevolent because of the way he is able to manipulate Othello into believing that his faithful wife, Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio.

Iago is able to manipulate each one of the characters in the play, which makes him evil. He seems loyal to Othello because he convinces him that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Iago is malicious because he has no motivation to start chaos between Desdemona and Othello. His jealousy of Cassio causes him tear apart the relationships of others and he is willing to take revenge on anyone, whether they are good or bad. Iago plays a major part in Desdemona’s death because he planted the thought of her unfaithfulness in Othello’s head. This makes him deceiving and evil because he has no sympathy for causing the death of the most innocent woman. “Work on, My medicine, (work)! Thus credulous fools are / caught, / And many worthy and chaste dames even thus, / All guiltless, meet reproach” (IV.1.54-56). Iago believes that many good and innocent women are punished for the same reasons, which makes him evil because he is planning to hurt one of the purest women in the play.

Iago is as evil as a serpent tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. The serpent is deceitful because he lures Eve into eating the apple off the tree, even though she was specifically told not to. He lies to Eve by telling her the fruit is harmless and when she takes a bite of the apple she is band from the Garden Eden by God. The serpent is similar to Iago because Iago’s lies cause the most guiltless person in the play to die. This is analogous to the serious consequence suffered by Eve.

The villain, Jeffar, in Aladdin relates to Iago because he is he is able to make everyone around him believe he is a trustworthy person; however he only desires to have the thrown and he is able to beguile anyone.