In Othello, Iago’s motives are never fully clear. However, there are a few possible reasons why he might have wanted to destroy Othello.
One possibility is that Iago was jealous of Othello’s status and accomplishments. Othello was a highly respected general, while Iago was simply a soldier. Iago may have been angry that Othello was given positions of power that he felt he deserved himself.
Another possibility is that Iago was afraid of Othello. Othello was a powerful and intimidating figure, and Iago may have been scared of what Othello would do if he ever found out about Iago’s scheming.
Finally, it is possible that Iago was simply motivated by greed and ambition. He may have wanted to take Othello’s position and power for himself, or he may have been after Othello’s wealth.
No matter what his motives were, Iago’s schemes led to the destruction of Othello and his loved ones. Shakespeare’s play Othello is a cautionary tale about the dangers of jealousy, fear, and greed.
Iago in William Shakespeare’s Othello may appear to have good intentions, but I believe he utilizes them as excuses. The first thing I did was discover Iago’s motives. Iago is the most contentious character in Othello. He is able to keep his real feelings and intentions secret from everyone. Is his motivation only a pretext for his behavior? Iago creates the impression that he has a lot of reasons, when they are actually excuses. After that, using these justifications, he rationalizes his behaviors, which are completely evil.
There are three motives that Iago has which are envy, anger, and lust. The first motive for Iago is envy. Othello is a general and he is loved by everyone. Othello has everything that Iago wants including Desdemona. Othello is also Iago’s boss and this makes Iago feel inferior to him. Othello promotes Cassio instead of Iago to lieutenant which makes Iago even more envious. Envy gives Iago the fuel to ruin Othello. The next motive for Iago is anger. Othello trusts Iago too much and this makes Iago angry.
Othello doesn’t see through Iago like everyone else does which makes Iago feel inferior. Othello also sleeps with Iago’s wife, Emilia. This is the ultimate insult to Iago. Othello also doesn’t kill Iago which makes Iago even more angry. The third motive for Iago is lust. He lusts after Desdemona and he is not able to have her. Othello gives her to Cassio which makes Iago very jealous. These motives are all hidden from Othello and everyone else in the play.
Iago is able to use these motives to his advantage. He uses envy to make Othello think that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona. He uses anger to make Othello think that Desdemona is cheating on him. He uses lust to make Othello think that Desdemona is interested in Cassio.
Iago is able to use these excuses to justify his actions. Iago’s actions are evil and he knows it. He is able to use these motives to keep Othello from seeing the truth. Iago’s true motive is power. He wants to be in control of Othello and he wants Othello to be ruined. Iago is a devil who does evil for his own sake. His motives are only excuses for his actions.
In this opening scene, we see Othello, a Venetian general, promoting Cassio to his new lieutenant. Iago feels he is well worth his promotion because he claims “I know my price; no worse position for me.” (l. i. 12) Iago is perplexed as to why Othello would make such a stupid choice in the above line.
Iago is a man with a huge ego who feels he is deserving of praise. Roderigo, a Venetian gentleman, understands Iago when Iago says that he is “affined to love the Moor.” (l. i. 41-42) What Iago truly meant was: “I’ll follow him so that I can serve my sentence on him.” (l. i. 45) Othello was used by Iago for selfish purposes .
Othello is not the only one Iago is planning to use, Iago also has Roderigo in his pocket. Othello promoted Cassio over Iago, so Iago wants to get revenge by ruining Othello’s life.
Othello gave the lieutenancy to Cassio because he “seemed much more honest than Iago. “(l. i. 25) Othello is a good judge of character and can see that Cassio is an honorable man unlike Iago who is two-faced and always has something up his sleeve. Othello was not fooled by Iago’s act; he could see through him. Othello says to Iago “Thou dost conspire against my peace and safety / Canst thou, Iago, think on’t? “(l. iii. 350-352) Othello knows that Iago is planning to do something bad to him, but he doesn’t know what it is. Othello trusts Iago because he has been a good soldier and friend to Othello in the past, but Othello is about to learn that Iago is not someone you can trust.
In Act 2 Scene 1, we see Iago planting the seeds of doubt in Othello’s mind about his wife Desdemona by telling Othello that she is cheating on him with Cassio. Iago knows that Othello is very jealous and if he can make Othello think that Desdemona is cheating on him, then Iago can control Othello. Iago tells Othello “You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; you’ll have your nephews neigh to you; you’ll have coursers for cousins and gennets for germans. “(l. i. 115-119) Iago is saying that if Othello does not kill Cassio, then his family will be disgraced. Iago is trying to make Othello so jealous that he will do anything to get rid of Cassio, even if it means killing him.
Iago’s motives for ruining Othello’s life are revenge, jealousy, and power. Iago is a very jealous person and he cannot stand to see Othello happy. Iago also wants revenge on Othello for not making him lieutenant. Iago wants to take away the one thing that Othello loves the most, which is Desdemona. Iago knows that if he can control Othello, then he will be able to do whatever he wants. Iago is a very dangerous person because he is willing to ruin other people’s lives to get what he wants.