What Are Iago's Motives

Othello, a play written by William Shakespeare in 1603, is a tragedy that was driven by both vindictiveness and racial prejudice. Iago is the antagonist of the play who persuades Othello into thinking that Desdemona, Othello’s wife, is committing adultery behind his back. Through the story, we will be able to identify adultery as the main theme of the play, and it plays a major role in Iago’s plan to destroy Othello. Iago can be characterized as a very malicious and manipulative character who uses his wordplay to deceive others. In this essay, I will be analyzing the text to exhibit that Iago’s motives were both vindictive, malign, and racially motivated.

In Iago’s first soliloquy, he confesses two reasons as to why he hates Othello.
This racial difference also deepens the plot of the play because everyone else are white Venetians; therefore, creating racial tensions within the play. I believe that the time period in which the play was written creates Iago’s hatred for Othello because he is considered “the other”. Iago, a white Venetian, specifically feels that a man of color should not be above him in social class nor should be in any type of relationship with someone outside of his race. Iago uses racist slurs as he wakens Brabantio with the absurd news that not only has his daughter Desdemona married Othello, but they are having sex . As Iago addresses Brabantio , he uses the sexual imagery of “an old black ram is tupping your white eve”(1.1.87-88). This imagery is important because it prompts Brabantio to thinking that his daughter is really having a relationship with an outsider, which he does not support. Iago then taunts Brabantio in saying that his daughter will be covered with “Barbary horse” and that his “nephews (will) neigh to you, you’ll have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans!” (1.1.110-112). Iago uses this metaphor to refer to the Elizabethan notions that black men are animal-like. Iago uses sexual imagery in this scene because he wants Brabantio to break up the marriage . The thought of sexual intercourse between a Moor and a Venetian is a totally absurd concept that Iago uses to his advantage. Iago uses racial slurs throughout the play to show that Othello is not only as an outsider to the Venetian society, but as being less of a human and therefore deserving less respect than