The puppet master expertly handles his marionettes through out his show, causing happiness and sadness, creation and distruction with just the flick of his wrist. This is how the character of Iago, in Shakespeare’s play Othello, is portrayed. He is a character of complexity and obscurity, like a puppet master behind the screen, heard but not truly seen until revealed in the end. When reflecting on Othello, Iago is the character that has a lasting impression and leaves the observer baffled over two points -- his motivation and the execution of his plans so efficiently.

Iago’s motivation to do such evil deeds is a controversial topic among many critics. There are three different opinions to Iago’s motives for destroying the Moor; revenge for the slights against him; feeding on the pain and suffering of others just for fun; or he has feelings of superiority over others and when doubted must prove this superiority.

The first motive proposed, that of revenge plain and simple, is not very likely given the evidence, but never the less it should be addressed. Iago’s feelings for revenge are vague and somewhat ungrounded for the extent that he takes his revenge. His reasons are based in his jealousy of those around him: the “successful rival” who has impeded his ambitions and the desire to “make [Othello] suffer a jealousy worse than his own” (Bradley 209). Cassio was promoted, favored before Iago, this is the main and major blow to Iago’s pride to which he plots a humiliating distruction of both Cassio and Othello. “Resentment at Cassio’s appointment is expressed in the first conversation with Roderigo, and from that moment is never once mentioned again in the whole play” (Bradley 225). If this is the major thorn in Iago’s side, why did he not mention it again or claim victory of his revenge once he got Cassio’s position as lieutenant, why go so far as to attempt the murder of Cassio. The other cause of jealousy is in a rumor that has no proof and even Iago admits it

And though he uses this as one of his justifications it is not mentioned or hinted at again in the play. It seems unlikely to have motives mentioned and forgotten to be truthful, rather they seem like passing justifications to harden his conscience against his plans in motion. Is Iago really after petty revenge of some slight against him? Maybe so, but the waters are deeper than they appear.

Critics who can find no solid motive for Iago’s manipulations simply take the view that he had no motive at all. He was simply caught up in feelings or urges to war against all that is seen as good. Iago is referred to as a demi-devil or the devil incarnate to be able to destroy so many lives without any show of emotion or effect on his person. Even in the end when his true self is revealed he showed no emotion and forbids himself to speak. Throughout the whole play “he never betrays his true nature; he seems to be master of all the motions that might affect his will” (Bradley 218). His heart and mind is cold and so resents all of those which are warm. This would give reason for the distruction of Desdemona who is the symbol of purity and goodness in the play. Desdemona is a foil to Iago, good vs. evil, which would create great resentment in Iago and a desire to corrupt and destroy all that she represents. He furthers his reputation by switching the reality of her goodness and his evil to an illusion of his honesty and her deceit which results in the distruction of nearly everyone in the play. Author William Hazlitt believes that Iago does not take pleasure “in gross or lascivious images, but to his desire of finding out the worst side of everything” (132). However, Coleridge believes Iago is one of “those who encourage in themselves and have their keenest pleasure in the feeling and expression of contempt for others” (126). The latter seems more plausible considering that the audience really doesn’t see the worst side of everything, so Iago’s plans weren’t to make the worst, but to destroy his counterparts. In these critics’ opinions Iago had no motive for all that he did but rather did them out of pleasure of doing them, the pleasure he got in expressing his contempt of them without them realizing it until it was too late. There is still a piece of the puzzle missing. To some critics this opinion is implausible because there is no mysticism in this play as there is in Macbeth with the weird sisters, so Iago could not be a “devil in the flesh” in an all human play (Stoll 147). There must be a human answer to what Iago is in this all human play.

The answer is superiority. The final suggestion for a motive is centered around his ego and his sense of superiority over all others. Iago feels that he is better than the Moor because the Moor is a black man, yet he never comes out to say it directly, just hints at it in small jibes about his coloring and his misplacement in venetian society. He also feels superior to Cassio who he describes as a book worm, not a soldier, yet Cassio was chosen to be lieutenant over Iago. Coleridge believes that when Iago is soliloquizing motives he is not doing anything more than “motive-hunting,” justifying his plans against the resistance of his conscious (Bradley 226). He is not a bad man, not to the extent of a demi-devil, Othello and Emilia had known him for quite some time and nothing had ever gone bad before Cassio’s promotion. The feeling of unacknowledged superiority mixed with resentment on his dependency to the Moor is what triggers the wrath of Iago. It seems to Bradley that Iago has weak ambitions and did not “exert himself greatly to acquire reputation or position” if his pockets were well lined, as it is suspected Cassio did since reputation was all Cassio was concerned with when he was demoted (221). Now that Iago is short of money, enough so that he must dupe it from Roderigo, and he was turned down for promotion he is not sure what to do and his frustration is coming out in prideful wrath against those who he sees as the causes of his problems. We know that he wishes “to plume up [his] will in double knavery” meaning he wants to regain his feeling of superiority by expressing it on those who challenged it (I, iii, 394-395). And “pain is the unmistakable proof of his own power over his victim (Bradley 229). Iago can be compared to a boy who stomps on beetles because he can or that of a boyfriend or husband who must show his superiority over his woman by degrading or even beating her. Iago uses words to corrupt the minds of those he wants to control to the point where they are destroyed socially or physically.

Iago starts out with Roderigo in the first Act convincing him to give him money and jewels to give to Desdemona as if he were a suitor and like a little puppet Roderigo obeys all through out the play. The second victim is Cassio, who “stole” Iago’s position as lieutenant. Cassio trusted Iago and ended up an outcast in just a few moments of his company. Once Iago disposes of Cassio he moves on to Othello in planting the seed of jealousy. The seed planted deep and well watered came to bear fruit causing the eventual deaths of Desdemona and Othello. Throughout the play Iago acts as a puppet master, twisting and jerking the strings to the tune he plays making his marionettes dance to his will. How great a show of superiority, the mastery of Iago’s control over everyone’s minds, feelings, and lives. Iago shows great intelligence in using every available chance, planned or unexpected, creating illusions and playing a part of “honest Iago” when inside he was giddy with the thrill of the ride, the butterflies of danger, the pride in success.

How did Iago do it? What was so effective in his speeches that caused Othello to doubt his wife and kill her? The answer is the word “if.”

“Iago’s ‘if’ is the great central if in the play” (Doran 69). Because of this tiny word Othello’s world tears apart. What did Iago mean by the word “if?” We, the readers and observers know what it means because we have the insight into Iago’s mind through his soliloquies, but what does Othello think it means? There are a million possibilities, “if Cassio’s stealing away from Desdemona means something sinister, if Desdemona is not a faithful wife, if Cassio is not a true friend,” and on and on (Doran 69). It is this word that grates on Othello’s mind, creates first a small hole in his trust and then widens it until all the trust is gone and jealousy and hurt is all that remains. Iago did not need to produce the handkerchief or any other proof, all the damage was done in his first mentioning Desdemona’s unfaithfulness.

Iago is a man of great complexity which baffled everyone in the play as well as those who have seen or read the play. Critics and analysts have argued over his true motivation, be it jealousy, evilness, or superiority, when in fact it was a part of all three. Iago did, in fact, have feelings of superiority and did control the characters of the play as if they were marionettes, he also had reasons for petty revenge and did get satisfaction from causing pain and enjoyed the feelings of contempt towards those who stood in his way. His motives in place he is able to execute his plans with efficiency and cunning with one little word that caused a huge breach in Othello’s mind in which he could not cross and could not close until it was too late. Iago is the most complete villain in all of Shakespeare’s plays in that he had fooled his world with a mask of honesty waiting for the chance to prove he was better than any man. He has no remorse, no regrets, and no repenting. He does not take that journey from goodness to evil, or evil to goodness like Othello does as well as many other Shakespeare characters, he is the same through out the entire play. What fascinates us all is that since there is no magic, no witches, only humans in a human world, the character of Iago is plausible, and real and it scares us that there might be people we trust out there who are only pulling our puppet strings.

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