Iago's Virtues

Iago's Virtues

1. Charming

   • Convinces Roderigo that there's still hope when all hope seems lost
     • "No more of drowning, do you hear?"
   • Confides in the audience through soliloquies + asides, making them feel intelligent, unlike those on stage

2. Witty

   • Master of sexual innuendo
     • Inappropriate but funny
   • Openly misogynistic
   • His happy-go-lucky demeanour allows him to get away with being cheeky

3. Lucky

   • Desdemona drops the handkerchief
   • Othello overhears Cassio talking about Bianca, thinking he's talking of Desdemona

4. Popular

   • Excellent reputation
     • "Honest Iago"
   • No one realises he is a "demi-devil" until the end
   • Othello trusts Iago to look after his new wife

5. Unhappy

   • We feel sorry for him??
   • Hates his job + had to watch Cassio get promoted
   • Stuck in a marriage to a wife he despises

6. Thrill seeker

   • Easy to unravel his plan
   • Little to gain from plan, other than revenge

7. Intelligent

   • Crudely informs Brabantio of Desdemona's elopement + disappears
   • Resourceful at turning any situation to his advantage
   • Convince Roderigo that his main love rival is Cassio + uses Roderigo as a puppet
   • Uses Cassio's shame + reluctance to face Othello to his advantage
     • "I cannot think that he would steal away so guilty like"
   • Senses Othello is insecure, suggests that it's strange that Desdemona chose him a husband
   • Exploits the fact that Othello is an outsider
   • Knows Othello's honest, explains not everyone is
   • Othello has a vivid imagination (description of Cassio's dream)
   • Knows Othello's handkerchief was given to him by his mother + is of sentimental value
   • Uses the fact that Othello is a man of action who is used to making decisions quickly + acting on the immediately