After being looked over by Othello for the second-in-command position, and hearing the rumor that Othello slept with Emilia, Iago’s wife, Iago’s jealousy gets the better of him, and he devises a plan to ruin Othello’s life. However, Othello does not suspect anything considering Iago’s reputation of being an honest man. Villains are often associated with lying, but in Othello, Iago tells the truth which makes him even more manipulative and evil than the average villain.
To be honest is to be free of deceit, but it is also a way to persuade someone of the truth of something. The latter is the way Iago uses his title of “honest” man. Fueled by hatred for Othello, Iago deceives and manipulates people for his benefit using his good reputation.Unaware of the hatred towards him, Othello continues to trust and believe everything Iago says. In Iago’s first soliloquy, he admits that he “hate[s] the Moor”, but gives a reason different from the one he gave Roderigo about why Iago hates Othello (I, iii, 429).
Iago tells Roderigo that he hates Othello because he was not given the position as lieutenant, but tells the audience it is because he believes a rumor that Othello and his wife had an affair. By calling Othello “the Moor”, Iago is diminishing Othello’s status from military commander of Venice to a Moor, which was considered an insult even though it was also just a fact. It also could be a reason Iago hates him. Despite being a Moor, Othello is still more powerful and successful than Iago will probably ever be. Although Iago never truly lies, the irony of Othello calling him “most honest” is chilling ( II, iii, 8). Othello, having no reason to dislike Iago, fully trusts and respects him which leaves him susceptible to manipulation. Iago is very careful with all of his words, especially when he is trying to manipulate and deceive.
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The allusions to religion further solidify Iago’s place beside the devil. At the very beginning of the play, Iago tells Roderigo “I am not what I am”, which is very similar to God’s line in Exodus 3:14, “I am who I am” (I, i, 71). Iago is literally telling Roderigo that he is deceitful, but Roderigo is too thick to understand. By saying almost the exact opposite of what God says, Shakespeare is aligning Iago with the devil since the opposite of God is thought to be the devil. The only thing Iago is really lying about seems to be who he is. The words he uses are all honest, they may beat around the bush, but the subliminal message is there.
Iago as a person, however, is completely unknown. He uses masks depending on the people he interacts with, but no one really knows the true Iago except himself. Iago claims, “When devils will the blackest sins put on, They do suggest at first with heavenly shows, As I do now”, which shows that Iago knows he is a devil, and still actively chooses to be evil (II, iii, 371). The extra effort Iago puts into making himself appear more “honest” takes any suspicions away from the sins he is going to commit. It is never established what exactly Iago will get out of ruining Othello’s life, other than the satisfaction, but this need to ruin the man who ruined his life, consumes Iago, leaving him only able to think about plots to destroy Othello and anyone close to him. Iago does not think of any of the collateral damage, because he does not care.
The only person Iago cares about is himself because in his eyes, he is the only one that can be trusted. He both deeply insecure and radically egotistical because he believes that no wives (including his own) can be faithful, but also believes he deserves to have a higher position in the military. Everything he does is for himself and himself only. By using his understanding of the human psyche, Iago becomes the perfect villain.
