Iago's Soliliquies

I am not a huge fan of the way Kenneth Baranagh stares directly at the audience.  I know thats how he does it in the play sometimes, but I don't like it on the film.  It feels a little to dramatized. I think I would like it a lot more if he would just talk to himself. 

The Nature of Evil

Both of the villains we have studied so far have something interesting in common. When Iago's machinations are finally uncovered, we takes a vow of silence and basically disappears form the play. Similarly, when Satan completes his evil mission, he slinks into the bushes and vanishes. What does this say about the nature of evil? Does evil only exist so long as it has a purpose and then fades away?

Iago's name

Iago is another name for Jacob, meaning “heal grabber;”  in the Bible, Jacob is Esau’s sly twin who tricks Esau out of his inheritance and then dresses as Esau to recieve his father's blessing.

Just an interesting tid-bit I found.  Iago is very sly and cunning and uses trickery to get his way.  I bet Shakespeare did that on purpose!

Iago

Iago is really really really truly evil.  In the last scene he could have denied the accusations, but he all but fessed up to it.  I think that Iago knew all along that he wouldn't "get away with it."  But I also think that he wanted everyone to know that he fooled them all.  Iago is so sadistic that he recieves more gratification in seeing, for example, Othello's anguish at knowing that he unjustly killed Desdemona, than he would have if he had gotten away with it (and survived).  Iago seems to just live for the despair of others, and once he reached what in his opinion might have been the most despair he could have possibly caused in one day (and one room!), he saw no more purpose in living or talking.  Iago was motivated to do evil for the sake of simply doing evil, and he was motivated to live by evil alone; so once Iago had achieved that height of evil which he wanted to, he saw no purpose to live.

Interesting Iago Article

How Iago Explains the World

The link above is to a really interesting article from the New York Times that talks about how the problems that the characters face in the play are similar to the problems America is facing today.

 

 

Emilia vs Iago

In class today we talked about how Emilia really had no intention of giving Iago Desdemona's hankerchief (at least the real one).  There is no way that she could have thought he was going to do anything good with the hankerchief.  I think Emilia just wants to see the good in everyone.  She believes that Desdemona did not cheat on Othello.  She does not realize that her own husband is incredibly evil.  She, unlike Iago, wants everyone to be good and nice, while Iago goes out of his way to see everyone in a negative light.  Emilia is almost the complete opposite of Iago.

Emilia

In class we have been debating whether Emilia is forced to be an accomplice of Iago. I think that in Act 5 scene 2 we learn that we were not giving Emilia enough credit. She personally ruins everything Iago had created by telling Othello the truth about the handkerchief. I never would have thought that Emilia would have been the one to blow Iago's cover. Maybe Desdemona's influence played a bigger role on Emilia than we originally thought. I wonder what motivated Emilia to tell the truth?

Emilia's suspicions

In act 4, Scene 2, Emilia tells Desdemona that "I will be hanged if some eternal villain...to get some office,/Have not devised this slander." Does she realize Iago's plan, since she says that someone devised this plan to get some office (position). If so, is she giving Desdemona a big clue here by saying it? Or does Emilia not realize that Iago is creating this exact plan she is thinking of?

Emilia

Emilia states

I will be hanged, if some eternal villain,

Some busy and insinuating rogue,

Some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office,

Have not devised this slander. I will be hanged else!

It almost seems as if she knows it is her husband... or else this statement is just extremely ironic. At this point, how could she not have any inkling of Iago's intentions? Could this be some subliminal message to Desdemona...or is Emilia blindly raging this? Is this her way of attacking her husband without actually attacking him?

Iago

I just love how Iago says "Men should be what they seem, Or those that be not, would they might seem none!" basically saying that if a person (he is referencing Cassio) is not honest, that person should at least not even pretend to look honest. Where does this leave Iago? Is he self-aware? Does he see his comment as self deprecating?

"manly" Iago

In my version of the play I have a footnote for "guinea hen," the name Iago calls Desdemona or just women in general.  In my book it says the word can also be interpreted as slang for prostitute.  This got me thinking again how Iago is always looking for a window to slide in a dirty joke or "hanky pankage" and that maybe what he says in the next line, he would "rather change [his] humanity with a baboon," the baboon is Othello.  Perhaps Iago's apparent manliness is a guise for his sexual preference?  In other words, Iago is gay. I'm not sure if I'm pulling this from back field or if it's maybe plausible.  This would explain, however, his anger at Othello for marrying Desdemona (which is, for the reader at least, when he starts plotting against Othello).

There has been speculation into whether Shakespeare was gay, so this just popped into my head.... Tell me if I'm crazy

Othello and The Godfather

While I was trying to establish a connection between both the play and the movie, I discovered some interesting character correlations. I believe that Iago is like Barzini because they both control the action from the background without becoming too involved. Also, because the play is a tragedy, I assume Iago dies in the end like Barzini did. I have yet to discover if Othello himself is Don Vito or Don Micheal. Thoughts?

Food for Thought

At the very beggining of Act  2 scence 3 Cassio questions Iago's trustworthyness. Othello has given Iago a job but Cassio does not have faith in Iago to fufill them. Instead, Cassio feels the need to do it personally. Of course, Othello loyal declairs Iago an honest man. However, I find that up till this point no one has seriously questioned Iago's legitamcy. I wonder why Cassio is the first one to question it? Does Cassio know more than we think he does?