The Darker Sides of Iago: Jealousy and the Will to Power

It has often been said that politicians and leaders have to lead a life without the

bountiful friendships that typically compliment human social life. Man has a will to

power, says Nietzsche, and will therefore stop at nothing to attain it. “Jealousy can be

particularly problematic for leaders,” writes Mark Stein. “One concerns the fact that, in

front of their teams, leaders are always alone—and often feel alone; in their roles; they

have no peers.”1

The key to effective leadership, then, would be to operate in a world where there

are very few outside influences. But when the “inside” influences are the ones doing the

tainting, thirsting for their own power, the leader can be easily swayed into acting in

ways that are unbecoming. Such is the story of Othello, who, turned on to the notion that

his wife, Desdemona, was having an affair with one of his high-ranking officials, acted

out in grand fashion to avenge his lost love.

Othello was “dependent on ‘insider’ employees or confidants”2 such as Iago, who,

as the play unfolds, makes himself out to be a bad apple. Iago is an important role in the

play and creates the type of twists that would suggest to some that he is a diabolical

madman who is dead-set on revenge and hungry for power. But it is the fact that he was

able to pass as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” that makes him even more sinister. His

confidence with Othello—and as we shall see, other characters in the play—was so

strong that Othello himself gave him the title “honest.” This showed that Iago was a

1 Mark Stein, “The Othello Conundrum: The Inner Contagion of Leadership,” in Organizational Studies 26, no. 9:1411.2 Mark Stein, “The Othello Conundrum: The Inner Contagion of Leadership,” in Organizational Studies 26, no. 9:1416.

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trusted and reliable part of his network who would not think of the deception common in

other power relationships.

The truth behind Iago’s motives, however, are not so clear. Through the text of

the play we are able to determine that he is crafty, but what part of him could be

considered base or deplorable? Was he willing to stop at nothing to take over Othello’s

position? Did he have any remorse for his actions? What would possess him to be so self-

motivated? Is his role as flatterer subordinate or complimentary to his desire for power?

In this paper I will attempt to answer these questions by looking at the different

ways in which Iago is viewed throughout the play. If to Othello he is honest, to

Brabantio, Desdemona’s wife, he seems dedicated to justice. I will first look at his

general ambiance of honesty through his early dealings with Othello and others. Next, I

will look at other key relationships that Iago has throughout the play, which will

hopefully shed light on who Iago really is. Finally, I will speculate on what motivated

him to plant seeds throughout the play that would effectively destroy lives. The analysis

suggests that Iago was driven by a desire to prove to others his worth. As we shall see,

particularly in his relation to Cassio—the alledged adulterer—that his motivation could

possibly have been to prove his worth to his superiors and those with wealth and power.

Where his professional abilities failed him his highly developed talent of persuasion,

manipulation, and flattery took him to new heights.

‘Honest’ Iago

While it is clear that Iago develops a sinister side as the play continues, it seems

apparent in Othello’s mind that Iago would not be capable of such trickery as befell

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Othello. Calling him “honest” Iago, his knowledge of the habits of Ensign Iago did not

warrant any speculation about a darker side. John W. Draper argues that, historically, the

actions of military men at the time Othello was written describes condititions where they

were underpaid or often not paid.3 In other words, the military was rampant with

corruption. True, Draper admits, “The ensign, as link between the commissioned officers

and the rank and file, had special opportunity for theft.” But, he admits, “ ‘honest’ Iago

seems to have been above such practices or surely in the course of years Othello would

have known it: Iago preferred to live by gulling such as Roderigo.”4

The pysychological analysis of Iago, then, seems skewed. Either he developed

those talents of persuasion and while serving in the military—escaping the gaze of

Othello—or his jealous feelings have a more personal ring to them. Iago is on a quest for

power or higher status in the military, something Draper feels is necessary for a career

militaryman, like Iago, to pursue. “…in about twelve years, his active career will be over

and his occupation gone unless he can advance himself to something less strenuous than

soldiering in the field; and such advancement required at least a commission and the

honorable status of gentleman that went along with it.”5 This would convince some that

Iago was driven mainly out of necessity or survival.

The dark view of his fate as an old soldier may have been the powderkeg, but the

most visible display of his will to power and his jealousy arises in the play when Cassio

acquires the coveted position of lieutenant. “He despises the new-made Lieutenant as

some old sergeants despise their younger officers, secretly but intensely.”6 This is seen

throughout the play, particularly as Iago plots to take out Cassio. At this point, it is more 3 John W. Draper, The “Othello” of Shakespeare’s Audience, Chapter IX.4 John W. Draper, The “Othello” of Shakespeare’s Audience, p. 144.5 John W. Draper, The “Othello” of Shakespeare’s Audience, p. 145.6 John W. Draper, The “Othello” of Shakespeare’s Audience, p. 146.

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important for Iago to show Othello that his meritorious record and many years of service

should be worth more to him that a new, unpolished intellectual with limited field

experience.

Iago’s Relationships

“Iago is a snake—but a snake under a flower. On the surface he must not fascinate

like a snake. He must charm like a flower.”7 The relationship between Iago and Roderigo

early in the play paints a picture of Iago as villainous. As Roderigo is in pursuit of

Desdemona, Othello’s wife, Iago discredits Othello, dismissing him as a mere foreigner

who has effectively hypnotized and stolen the young and beautiful heiress:

Rouse [Othello]:--make after him, poison his delight,

Proclaim him in the streets; incense her

And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,

Plague him with flies: though that his joy be joy,

Yet throw such changes of vexation on’t.

As it may lose some colour. (I.i.)

Iago, in the very first dialogue with another character, is setting himself up to be a

trustworthy and loyal associate of Roderigo. In Act I he plays on the fears of both

Roderigo and Desdemona’s father, Brabantio. Though not mentioned by name in the first

act, Othello is cast as someone who, though decorated with military honors, is a person

not to be trusted. If Iago is successful and convincing Roderigo that Othello is a bad

7 Harold C. Goddard, The Meaning of Shakespeare,” p. 74.

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apple and does not deserve someone as fair as Desdemona, he can convince others of the

same thing. His willingness to play on the xenophobia of other people means that Iago

has developed a talent for destroying the lives of others and putting himself in a better

position by finding common links with other characters. “The psychology of Iago is that

of a slave-with-brains who aspires to power yet remains at heart a slave.”8 As Ensign, he

did not have the military prowess to wield power as he might have liked. But given his

talent for persuasion, rhetoric, and spreading hearsay, he had found just the tools to get

him to where he wanted to be.

At the end of Act I, Scene III, Iago and Roderigo have just been witness to the

decision of Brabantio, who is convinced that Othello is not the man that he is being

portrayed to be. Roderigo, in his lament for the girl he had hoped to marry, lapses into

despair. Iago assures him that he should continue on his quest and that all is not lost:

Rod. What should I do? I confess it is in my shame to be so fond; but it is not in

virtue to amend it.

Iago. Virtue! a fig! ‘tis in ourselves that we are thus and thus. Our bodies are

gardens, to the which our wills are the gardeners…why, power and corrigible

authority of this lies in our wills. If the balance of our lives had not one scale

of reason to poise another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures

would conduct us to most preposterous conclusions; but we have reason to

cool our raging motions, our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts; whereof I take

of this, that you can call love, to be a sect or scion. (II.iii).

8 Harold C. Goddard, The Meaning of Shakespeare,” p. 74.

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Iago initially cast a wide shadow on Othello’s intentions with Desdemona. Then he plays

on the emotions of Roderigo asking him if he is quite certain that Desdemona is the one

for him. By planting the bug in his ear that his love is really lust, he strengthens the bond

between Desdemona and Roderigo in Roderigo’s mind. In this scene Iago is the puppet

master and Roderigo the puppet on strings.

This is no more cleverly seen than in Act III, Scene iii, known as the “temptation

scene.” Here, Iago tries to convince Othello that his wife is having an adulterous affair

with his now dismissed lieutenant, Cassio. He begins to plant a seed in Othello’s mind as

Cassio exits in Scene III:

Iago. Ha! I like not that.

Oth. What dost thou say?

Iago. Nothing, my lord: or if—I know not what.

Oth. Was not that Cassio parted from my wife?

Iago. Cassio, my lord! No, sure I cannot

That he would steal away so guilty-like,

Seeing you coming. (III,iii).

Iago, now quite convinced that his yielding toward suspicion has taken hold of Othello

continues to egg him on: “Oth. Is [Cassio] honest? Iago. Honest, my lord!...Oth. What

dost thou think? Iago. Think, my lord! Oth…by heaven, he echoes me,/ As if there were

some monster in his thought too hideous to be shown.—Thou dost mean something

(III,iii).” Othello, through Iago’s flirtation with adultery, is essentially a ticking time

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bomb. He is “unable to rid his mind”9 of the thought that Cassio could be having an affair

with Desdemona.

Iago has firmly “established himself as a haunting, monster-like presence

invading Othello’s mind,”10 but his tact shows him, even at this stage, to be loyal to

Othello and as upset as he at the thought of an affair. The plot continues to unfold as

Othello grows increasingly suspicious of Iago’s accusations when he asks for proof that

Desdemona and Cassio have been together. In his dealing with Othello, Iago seems adept

at picking out the flaws of others. For as sure as he knew the love that existed between

Othello and Desdemona, he could always find something that would get in the middle of

it without him having to do it himself. Iago is a master at playing on the weaknesses of

other characters, such as Othello, suggesting that he has a very keen understanding of the

human mind and emotions.

Iago is “never what he seems to be” and “uses others to further his own dark aims

and satisfy his hatred on mankind,”11 says Alvin B. Kernan. That his hatred of mankind is

evident can only be seen in the people he tried to destroy. There are no affirming

relationships within the context of the play; there are only half-affirming relationships

that paint him one way in public and another in private.

Apart from the obvious jealousy that arises when dealing with Othello, Cassio,

even Roderigo, there is no indication throughout the play that he possesses any genuine

quality that affirms life or encourages mutual interaction with others on civil terms. His

speeches are filled with rhetoric that effectively convince the listener that he is as Othello

9 Mark Stein, “The Othello Conundrum: The Inner Contagion of Leadership,” in Organizational Studies 26, no. 9:1405-1419.10 Mark Stein, “The Othello Conundrum: The Inner Contagion of Leadership,” in Organizational Studies 26, no. 9:1405-1419.11 Alvin B. Kernan, Modern Shakespeare Criticism, p. 356.

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thinks him to be: “honest.” It is easy to infer that he is at his core “diabolical,” as some

critics agree, but others pit his role as antagonist as merely his way of playing the game

of politics. True, “Iago is intensely jealous of Othello’s marriage to the beautiful

Desdemona and is engaged in a plot to destroy it” and that he, “having been denied

promotion,…is engaged in a deadly struggle for succession.”12

In the context of the play, the question of what motivates him to be this

“diabolical” character is quite elusive. It can be inferred that he may have been facing his

status as a soldier in the military, thinking that a higher-ranking position would set him

on proper footing professionally and socially. He would then have had a shot at capturing

someone like Desdemona, who was clearly impressed by Othello’s own telling of war

stories (I.iii). This is perhaps most clear in his hatred of Cassio, who was appointed to a

position Iago thought he was fit to acquire. His willingness to unravel the marriage of

Othello and Desdemona, however, shows him also jealous of the love between them. In

this instance, he is motivated by love. Ironically, more inspection into his sinister nature

reveals that he lacks the proper restraint of will to be anything else but evil.

12 Mark Stein, “The Othello Conundrum: The Inner Contagion of Leadership,” in Organizational Studies 26, no. 9:1409.

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Works Cited

Draper, John W. The “Othello” of Shakespeare’s Audience. (New York: Octagon, 1978).

Goddard, Harold C. The Meaning of Shakespeare, Vol. 2. (Chicago: U. of Chicago Press,

1963).

Greenblatt, Stephen, et. al., eds. The Norton Shakespeare. (New York: Doubleday, 2004).

Kernan, Alvin B. Modern Shakespeare Criticism: Essays on Style, Dramaturgy and the

Major Plays. (New York: Harcourt, 1970).

Shakespeare, William. “Othello” in The Complete Works of Shakespeare. (Ann Arbor,

Mich.: Borders, 2004).

Stein, Mark. “The Othello Conundrum: The Inner Contagion of Leadership,” in

Organizational Studies 26, no. 9:1409.

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