I’m sure I’m not the only one who immediately picked up on the similarities between Iago and Richard. Both are deceptive, manipulative, villainous forces of evil in their respective plays. However, from the opening lines of Richard III, Richard outwardly declares himself a villain and lets the audience in on his evil plans:
I am determined to prove a villain
And hate the idle pleasure of these days.
Plots have I laid, inductions dangerous…(1.1.30)
Unlike Iago, he openly declares both his motivations and his plans. He is deceptive, but only to the other characters in the play. The audience is his confidante- but why? Why did Shakespeare chose to break down the fourth wall between the villain and the audience in this play, yet years later decide to have his villain Iago’s motivations and personality be ambiguous and unknown to the audience?
To answer this, we need to examine both characters and their roles in the play. Richard is the main (and title) character in Richard III. The entire plot focuses on his plan to become king and kill anyone who comes in-between him and the throne. He is the center of the play,the antagonistic protagonist of sorts. However, in Othello, Iago is not the main character- Othello is. Iago is rather the driving force behind the plot line and also behind Othello, a noble character who is driven to murder by Iago’s manipulation.
Both villains portray themselves as being good-natured and sincere to the other characters. Iago insists he is being a good friend by letting Othello know his wife is cheating on him, and Richard complains to Queen Elizabeth and her family that the people at court are picking on him because he’s such a genuine, honest man, saying:
Cannot a plain man live and think no harm,
But thus his simple truth must be abused
With silken, sly insinuating jacks? (1.3.51)
There is one major difference between their deceptive portrayals of honesty: no one suspects Iago of being a villain, whereas Richard is disliked and also outright called a villain by Anne. Richard has already murdered those loved by the other characters in a war setting, while Iago’s murderous side is yet to be revealed. Despite being called a villain by Anne, Richard still manages to soften and persuade her into letting him woo her- quite impressive, considering she spat at him only minutes before! Iago’s manipulations are also impressive, as he makes Othello believe his wife is unfaithful with a mere handkerchief.
It’s important to note that Shakespeare wrote Richard III twenty to thirty years before Othello. Making Iago’s motivations unclear was a distinct choice, a clear difference between his previous choice to have Richard confess his incentive to the audience. To create an evil character whose motivations are unknown is to create an entirely unsympathetic character, someone who the audience cannot possibly identify with, or understand on a foundational human level. Perhaps Shakespeare thought Richard wasn’t evil enough- I mean, a fight for power was common in those times, and still is. Of course he is still brilliantly deceptive and manipulative, but we know why he puts on his act. He wants to become king. Yet why would Iago put on his act? Why would he hide his true motives? Without a known motivation, Iago’s level of wickedness is amplified beyond a level that the audience could comprehend. When Shakespeare wrote Richard III, he may have still been exploring how to create a villain. Richard is a commonly-found type of villain: selfish, ambitious, power-hungry. Shakespeare’s audience would’ve understood that. Perhaps as the play progresses we will see how Richard’s evilness progresses- will he still confide in the audience, and carry out his murderous plan as we understand it at this point in the play? Or will there be a twist that takes his evilness to an Iago-like level?
3 comments:
I agree with your post, they really are two types of villains. How you note that Othello was written long after Ricahard III also is a very important point. Obviously with every play Shakespeare wrote he learned something new about himself and how to creatively employ traits to his characters. While RIchard is out and about deceiving his own family I still find Iago to be a more evil and cunning person. I think the fact that Richard is surrounded by a lot of cunning and conniving people he stands out less than Iago; not saying that he isn't bad, after all, he is the main player and his evil deeds are on full display. Iago though is a lone thorn amongst the rest of his company. Next to the honest, good hearted Cassio and the sweet and loving Desdemona, Iago's vile actions stand out that much more. I think we can all agree that we would not like to meet either one of these people in our lives.
There is such a great resemblance between these two character, and I think Shakespeare does a wonderful job creating his villan's. You bring up the differences between the evil characters in these plays and how they interact. While we may never really know why Shakespeare choose to portray his characters in the manner he does I think your ideas are warranted. A possible reason for this also may be the inspiration for the plays. Othello was based on a previously written story, therefore maybe Shakespeare's inspiration for Iago and the way he acts would his evil deeds comes from there. As well as Richard III is based on real people. The manner in which Richard acts can be associated with the way the real man had acted and this may have influenced his portrayal.
This is a really thorough examination of the differences (and similarities) between Richard and Iago, Liz. I like your point that Richard is more forthcoming with his audience than is Iago. Richard also has some pretty specific goals in mind, while Iago is noted (as several have mentioned in their posts) for his lack of clear motivation. This may also be due, in part, to the difference in genre. Shakespeare is working with historical material in this case, which gives him a limited range of possibilities for this character. Richard's story was also well known to the audience in Shakespeare's time, which would also limit his choices.
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