Iago's manipulations

• ‘But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve’

  •  emphasis on Iago’s duplicitous nature to Roderigo and the audience. He is an unambiguous tragic villain

  Roderigo thinks he owns more principle because he’s of a higher class, petulant in his anger when he says ‘i will not follow him then’. However, Iago manages to manipulate him and go to Brabantio’s house as well as explicitly tell him he is not to be trusted - ‘i am not what i am’. This instantly established Roderigo as a fop
• ‘In following him I follow but myself’

  Biblical link, echoing Exodus. God says ‘I am what I am’ therefore Iago wants to play God. Dramatic irony as we know Iago’s intentions from the beginning
• ‘Though I do hate him as I do hell’s pains’


  compares hatred of Othello to pain of hell. Agonising suffering of Iago serving Othello to bring about his downfall.
• ‘Shows of service on their lords

  Dutiful facade
• ‘now, now, very now’


  implies that they are currently having sex. He frequently uses present tense and repetition to create compelling narratives and evoke a response from Brabantio. It makes the situation feel more immediate and plausible
• ‘Poison his delights’ ‘plague him with flies’


  Iago wants to tell Brabantio of their marriage, hiding through Roderigo. Iago frequently uses poison, corruption and disease imagery throughout the play. 
• ‘How can I get his place as lieutenant and raise up my own status through trickery?’


  Image of anxious masculinity in Iago’s soliloquy. He is seen to be craving the validation of a promotion from Othello to add security to his social status. A promotion to lieutenant provide him with affirmation and security
• Iago's use of verse and prose

  Iago makes use of prose and verse as he manipulates those around him. Whether wishing to be seen as a respectable advisor, humble servant, or a common soldier Iago is a master chameleon of speech. sliding in and out of speech patterns mirrors his ability to camouflage his nature to best suit his purpose. 
• ‘will as tenderly be led by th' nose as asses are’


  Refers to Othello as an ass, zoomorphism. racist view of Moors as animalistic is closely entwined with the idea that Moors are naturally subservient and unintelligent.
• ‘A man he is of honesty and trust’

  • when introducing Iago. It represents the degree to which Othello has already been deceived. There is repetition of honest being used over 40 times in the play, dramatic irony.
• ‘She has deceived her father, and may deceive thee


  Said by Iago to Othello. Although Iago turns Othello against Desdemona, father that first notices her as untrustworthy. She has deceived him by running away, this may have places the idea in Iago’s head and may make it easier for Othello to believe Iago. The purpose of Brabantio’s character is to prove that betrayal has taken place once and may do so again.
• 'The moor is of a free open nature that thinks me honest’


  Othello is naive and assumes Iago to be honest. This is a fatal flaw that makes him easily lead to his downfall. Whilst Othello is not feebleminded, Iago's observation that Othello is overly trusting is correct. Indeed, Othello's readiness to believe in appearances is the fatal flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall.
• ‘Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light’

  Iago’s idea. A creation metaphor
• ‘Her eye must be fed’
• ‘I do love her too, but partly led to diet my revenge’
• ‘I do love her too, but partly led to diet my revenge’


  Iago’s hatred for Desdemona runs so deeply that he loves her out of spite, not out of her character and beauty. Implies this love too be more of an obsession than infatuation. He cannot accept that Desdemona as an aristocrat will marry a black man
• ‘Good Iago’


  Othello refers to Iago with similar superlatives to Desdeoma. His excessive trust and confidence is a factor in his downfall.
• ‘With as little web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio’

  His manipulation of a courteous interaction highlights his ruthless nature as antagonist. The metaphor of trapping a spider in its own web is suggests the disruption of domestic harmony and mirrors Desdemona’s death in her own marital bed. Cassio is Iago’s social superior
• ‘O, you are well tuned now; But I’ll set down the pegs that make this music’


  He compares them to a piece of music which describes their rhythm and harmony when in each other’s company. However, Iago promises to “set down the pegs,” effectively suggesting that he will interfere and upset this harmony within their relationship.
• ‘like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards’


  Compares the impact of thinking that his wife has had an affair to a poisonous mineral, painfully working its way through his stomach
• Iago vs Othello's

  There are key differences in Othello and Iago’s soliloquies, Othello is cheerful and joyous in comparison to Iago being dominated by jealousy
• ‘Very nature will instruct her in it’

  their mixed race marriage goes against nature, therefore nature will force her to leave Othello
• Iago and consummating the marriage

  Iago abuses the trust placed on him from Othello whilst they consummate their marriage to scheme. He manipulates Cassio into drinking but Cassio’s goodness and not wanting to spoil the night prevents him from falling victim to the plan.
• ‘Reputation, reputation, reputation O'


  Cassio has been set up to ruin his reputation as a man that can be trusted.
• ‘Reputation is an idle and most false composition, oft give without merit and lost without deserving


  Iago suggests reputation to be false and underserved. It can also be lost for no reason and therefore is a construct. Act 2, scene 3 is central for reputation as two characters can be seen to diminish their reputations, whilst Iago can be seen to enhance his as a conscientious soldier and helpful friend
• ‘If consequence do not approve my dream, my boat sails freely’


  successful plot
• ‘Poor and unhappy brains for drinking’


  Cassio’s low alcohol tolerance
• ‘Honest Iago looks dead with grieving’


  In reaction to Act 2, Scene 3
• ‘Never knew a Florentine more kind and honest’


  Cassio trusts Desdemona to reconcile his relationship with Othello.
• ‘Not a poppy  not mandaraga, not all the drowsy syrups of the world shall ever medicine thee to sleep which  tho oldest’

  Reveals extent to which Iago enjoys the chaos. Stress on ‘all’ reinforces the idea that there are no remedies to restore Othello’s happiness in the world. ‘Medicine’ is a noun turned into a verb to further its impact. Sleep = discontent, worry, guilt
• ‘It is my natures plague to spy into abuses and oft my jealousy shapes faults that are not’

  Iago refers the jealousy he instils into Othello as the plague.
• ‘I’ll see before I doubt’

  initially, Othello isn’t completely gullible l and blindly led by Othello as he wants proof before he acts upon the suspicion
• ‘My Lord, you know I love you’

  false allegiance to Othello
• ‘Lie’ ‘with her, on her, what you will’


  Iago’s play on words is used to evoke sexual images in Othello’s mind. Irony as lie has multiple meanings, he is lying about Desdemona and Cassio
• ‘O damn'd Iago! O inhuman dog!’. Iago stabs Roderigo


  Iago’s actions are self serving and he has no true allegiances. There is irony in calling him a dog as they are known for their loyalty. Even in the act of murder, he is still branded with his trustworthy persona
• ‘Manipulated and tricked into extreme jealousy’


  Othello displays extreme external locus of control and solely blames Iago for his actions, rather than his own predisposition to jealousy. He suggests he is not ‘easily jealous’ by nature, further emphasising Iago’s role as a malignant in misleading him to be blind to his own naivety.
• ‘From this moment forth, I will never speak a word’


  Iago’s motives forever remain a mystery.