He contends that "a careful survey of the plot as it unfolds shows Iago as an opportunist who cleverly grasps occasion" (Draper 726). He believes that Iago and Othello are similar in that they are both noble soldiers. He goes on to defend Iago, noting that he is "less culpable than the king in Hamlet... Iago has no inherent wickedness like that of Richard III" (Draper 736). Draper maintains that Shakespeare made Iago "more realistic than the original; and his motives and character are indeed human, all too human" (736). Iago is "honest as this world goes caught in the fell grip of circumstance... attempting... To vindicate his honor" (736). This is an interesting point-of-view and many would choose to debate it because, in the end, the whole reason behind Iago's jealousy and anger toward Othello was because Othello did not perceive him as a noble soldier, other wise he would have been promoted to lieutenant and the whole fiasco could have been avoided.
The two are quite different when it comes to matters of finality as well. Bowman maintains that at the end of the play, Iago "suffers defeat with stoical endurance" (Bowman 468), realizing that his original quest for influencing the thoughts and actions of others has been realized. The man we see at the end of the play is indeed a man that knows he has been "far more successful than his wildest anticipations" (469). Iago does not try to redeem himself nor does he attempt to "impair one's impression that revenge may be wicked but nevertheless natural" (469). Othello, on the other hand, is remorseful to the point of death when he realizes what he has done. The valor has left the soldier's countenance...
He realizes he is Desdemona's killer and admits to Lodovico that the unfortunate man is "Othello: here I am" (V.ii.281). One man experiences regret; the other regret that his plan did reach fruition.
Othello and Iago are two men that demonstrate how man can kill in cold blood. However, we do not look upon Othello as the same kind of killer as e do Iago because of each man's circumstances. Iago's intent was to harm. He never wanted anything but revenge and even as he killed the woman that was closest to him, he felt nothing. Othello never intended to do anything but
love and
honor his wife. Iago drove him to murder by playing on his weakness as a man. One man represents evil beyond words while the other represents the delicate nature of man and how we should guard that nature should we encounter an Iago intent upon our destruction. We cannot deny that Othello is a murderer and a cruel man for never allowing Desdemona a chance to speak for herself but we realize that his actions were guided by the hand of an evil man whose singular intent was to destroy the live he worked so hard to create.
Works Cited
John Arthos. "The Fall of Othello." Shakespeare Quarterly. 9:2. 1958. JSTOR Resource Database. Information Retrieved December 08, 2008. http://www.jstor.org
Ralph Berry. "Pattern in Othello." Shakespeare Quarterly. 23:1. 1972. JSTOR Resource Database. Information Retrieved December 08, 2008. http://www.jstor.org
Thomas D. Bowman "A Further Study in the Characterization and Motivation of Iago." College English. 4:8. 1943. JSTOR Resource Database. Information Retrieved December 08, 2008. http://www.jstor.org
John W. Draper. "Honest Iago." PMLA, 46: 3. 1931. JSTOR Resource Database. Information Retrieved December 08, 2008. http://www.jstor.org
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Kenneth Muir, ed.…
