Othello Act 1 blog

Iago is bitter about Othello’s decision to make Cassio his lieutenant. He states that Cassio does not deserve this position because he specializes in numbers, whereas Iago specializes with actual combat. He claims that Cassio therefore only received the position of lieutenant based on his friendship with Othello: “This countercaster,/ He, in good time, must his lieutenant be,/ And I, God bless the mark, his Moorship’s ancient” (Act I, scene i). Iago is fond of making strong oaths (“‘Sblood” and “Zounds” (Act I, scene i)), which shows that he can be a bit dramatic at times. He is also fond of derogatory racial slurs, such as using the term “moor” and comparing Othello to an animal, thus demonstrating his disrespect for Othello. Iago is cunning, and this is seen when he speaks to Roderigo because he uses diction and rhetoric to get Roderigo to agree with him about the lieutenancy, thus making him willing to speak with Brabantio about Othello and Desdemona, before Iago quickly leaves claiming he cannot be seen acting against Othello despite his speech. Later, Iago shows that he is two-faced because when he meets up with Othello, he claims that Roderigo spoke out against Othello without any provocation form Iago: “but he prated/ And spoke such scurvy and provoking terms/ Against your Honor,/ That with the little godliness I have/ I did full hard forbear him” (Act II, scene i). Soon after, Roderigo and Brabantio arrive, and Iago acts as though he would attack Roderigo in Othello’s defense. Later, Iago reveals that he hates Othello because he believes Othello had an affair with Iago’s wife. Therefore, Iago intends to break up Othello’s marriage to Desdemona using Cassio.