Iago mainly justifies his revenge plot on Othello's choice of Cassio as his lieutenant rather than Iago. He felt slighted by this choice and consequently ruin Cassio's reputation and relationship with Othello by causing him to get drunk and get into a fight. Though this still is not enough for Iago. He plans for Othello to suspect that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair with one another.
The brutality of Iago's revenge signifies his actions as being beyond justification. Whether or not Othello's choice for lieutenant was the "right" choice bears little on what Iago did as a result. The ruining of lives over a professional title shows the inner evil that lies inside of Iago that was waiting for a chance to emerge.
His actions and the severity of them also come from an inner feeling of powerlessness within. Driven to a third-wheel role he begins to embrace his impotence and says that if he were the Moor, he would not be himself. Meaning that if he had that power he would not be forced into committing these evil deeds on people.
While this is not a just excuse to most sensible people, it shows the complete denial in Iago's spirit. He's constantly asserting the reasons behind his actions but the reader begins to question these reasons as the play goes on, such as his claims of Othello and Cassio having an affair with Iago's wife. There is never any evidence in the play that this occurred other than Iago's claims.
All of his claims and justifications stem from the feeling of impotence in his surrounding world. When one is forced into confronting their own powerlessness they begin to look towards any way in which they can change their world. For Iago, his feelings of impotence led to cause torrential change in the lives of those surrounding him. With little regard for their lives, it's clear that Iago serves himself, and not Othello or anyone else.
3 comments:
"When one is forced into confronting their own powerlessness they begin to look towards any way in which they can change their world."
I completely agree with this statement. Iago isn't ruining lives over revenge because he hadn't gotten the position he wanted- it is definitely much more than that. His deceitful manipulation certainly puts him in a position of power, as the force of evil in the play itself.
I agree, Iago is struggling with his "impotence" or powerlessness through out the play. He makes up excuses for why he feels the needs to sabotage Othello's place in Venetian society and new marriage, but his reasons are vague and not necessarily justified, for example his belief that Othello and Cassio both slept with Emilia. There is no clear proof of either of them sleeping with her, but Iago is certainly a master of deceit. He even has the power to lie to the audience.
I like the idea of Iago's impotence a lot and would be interested in seeing a further investigation of how his language, especially, highlights that lack of power. Do we find anything in the way he speaks to show this underlying lack of power?
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