Character Analysis of Iago Essay

Imagine that you are an evil soul. Do you befuddle a reason for being evil? Is in that location always a logical want for villainous behavior? Most of us, take down if we were to imagine ourselves as evil would probably also imagine a motivation for being so a lust for power, greed for money, for revenge, or just anger roughly our painful or disappointing experiences. However, Shakespeares perenni ally favorite love-to-hate bad-guy, Iago, fronts to defy simple interpretation when it comes to striking need.In some ways, Iagos behavior is so despicable it seems unlikely that some(prenominal) single motivation could be reasoned out(p) from the plays content that would adequately explain the causes of his villainy. He appears alternatively as what modern-day psychologists might call a sociopath, which is a person who demonstrates no acknowledg workforcet of moralistic or ethical responsibility for their actions. Although a motive of sorts is ascribed in the plays dialogue for Iagos plot to undo Othello, the basis of revenge is slight.in fact, in order to make Iago a tout ensemble unsympathetic piece, Shakespeare was careful non to ascribe any viable motive for his desiring revenge against Othello. If the audience sensed that Iago was truly wronged, and has cause for vengeance, then he must(prenominal) certainly draw warm sympathy and this would get a digression from the plays prow of pride as a tragic flaw. (Rosenberg, 1961, p. 168) also contrary to the idea that Othello gave Iago genuine provocation for revenge is the fact that Othello is consistently portrayed as virtuous, well-nigh single-mindedly so.This fact is made undetermined by Iagos own soliloquy when he reasons out that he is superior to the Moor because he is non susceptible to faith in goodness or virtue the Moor is of a free and unclouded reputation / That thinks men honest that tho seem to be so by contrasting himself with Othello, Iago makes it clear that he, himself, is not given to faith in men or their presumed virtues and he views Othellos faith as a shortcoming the remark is not a compliment only if a contemptuous exculpation of Othellos naivete and foolishness.(Sadowski, 2003, p. 171) Despite Iagos measuredly devised unsympathetic character, the complexity of Iago is adequate enough to get more than a simple cardboard villain. though his motives for revenge against Othello whitethorn be slight or even ambiguous, the complete realization of Iago as a believable, multifaceted individual is accomplished by Shakespeare in brilliant fashion.An actor playing Iago would have to be careful not to personify Iago as a demonic or outright malicious person, but as a more cleverly dissemble and complicated person. Instead of acting like a thug or a typical evil-doer, Iago would be more effectively portrayed as a sociopath who is familiar with social mores and laws and moral codes, and in fact uses them to attain his self-interests, but has absolute ly no sense of personal ethics or faith whatsoever.If an actor tried to portray him purely as a symbol of evil he would have had to dissolve parts of Shakespeares complex characterization because Iago is more than a cardboard villain, he represents Shakespeares exploration of a criminally insane personality, a person who is all the more sinister for choosing evil quite a than simply representing it. Arguably, some of his motives remain unstated, offshoots of a warp and paranoid nature seething with jealousy and envy. (Hall, 1999, p. 72). rock that Iago has chosen to become malicious and evil may sound strange at first, but even the opening of the playsuggests that iago is himself aware of his own dual nature one lieu which preceives and udnerstands the laws and moral parameters of the world, what is right and wrong, and other side which is wilfully evil and out to deal only self-interest and revenge. Iago says of himself I am not what I am. This points to a psychologically unstable condition, but a self-aware condition. In this way it is realistic to see Honest Iago and Villainous Iago are obverse and drive away of the same coin.On the one side, the pure opulent of human concern Sblood, but youll not chance upon me. If ever I did dream of such a matter, Abhor me. (1. 1. 4) (Calderwood, 1989, p. 94) Despite Iagos complexities of character and the viability of see his character as a manifestation of a sociopath , another, less complimentary interpretation for Shakespeares complex villain is possible that Iago functions as not much more than a necessary art object of dramatic mechanism however, this provocative judgment runs foretell to most peoples impressions of Iago as a fascinating, multifaceted study in evil.(Hall, 1999, p. 71) That said, it is still a viable criticism of the play that Iagos multifaceted evil is so dynamic and so all-ecompassing as to go beyond the purely psychological character study nad into actual plot-resolution technica l deceit which Shakespeare found necessary to give his play battlefront and dramatic action. This is a fascinating interpretation, but it seems unlikely in the final analysis because Iago is immediately perceptible to audiences, as though he is somebody we all already know.In fact, he does represent an facial expression of ourselves that we all do know and know well, which is the side of us which bases its motives on self-interest and has no popular opinion for moral obligation or ethical restraint. of telephone circuit this dark side exists in all of us and must be senior piloted when we fail to master our dark side we are sometimes called villains, sometimes sociopaths. Shakespeares great genius in the fundament of Iago was to produce a character whose immersion in the dark side was so deep as to create great tragedy, but so realistically rendered that it was universally recognizable as a ceaseless aspect of and threat to human social order. References Calderwood, J. L. ( 1989). The Properties of Othello. Amherst, MA University of Massachusetts Press.Hall, J. L. (1999). Othello A Guide to the Play. Westport, CT Greenwood Press. Rosenberg, M. (1961). The Masks of Othello The see for the Identity of Othello, Iago, and Desdemona by Three Centuries of Actors and Critics. Berkeley, CA University of atomic number 20 Press. Sadowski, P. (2003). Dynamism of Character in Shakespeares ripen Tragedies. Newark, DE University of Delaware Press.