The Irrationality Of Evil In Shakespeare's Othello

Evil is Iago
Shakespeare’s Othello, concludes with arguably one of the most tragic endings to a play anyone has ever written. In this final scene, the deceptive Iago is revealed as the villain responsible for Othello’s desperate act. Although Iago’s deceptive persona is finally unveiled here, he refuses to offer any justification for his evil deeds. Despite Othello’s demand for an explanation, and treats of torture, Iago maintains an immovable silence. Like Lodovico, audiences and critics alike, are left with no reasonable explanation for Iago’s malevolent actions. This mysterious facet of Iago has led critics to rack the text with astute cruelty, desperately seeking an answer to the ambiguous nature of Iago. In 1969 author of critical analysis, Daniel Stempel, published “The Silence of Iago” in the literary journal, Shakespearean Criticism, which can now be found as a reprint from the Literature
In this critical review Stempel argues that Shakespeare dramatized Iago’s character through an in depth examination of Iago’s motives, as well as the irrationality of evil itself. Stempel acknowledges previous works done, which explore facets of Iago such as, his motives or lack of motives, his honesty and more prevalent dishonesty, as well as his orthodoxy and possible diabolism, and endeavors to provide an alternative way to analyze the duplicity of Iago. Stempel believes that “Iago embodies the mystery of the evil will” and offers examples to justify why this may be the true origin of Iago’s wickedness. Throughout this essay most of Stempel’s arguments are associated with religious history and terminology that I had not been previously exposed to, which made the essay quit difficult to understand. However, after doing a bit of research on such religious topics I was finally able to gain the insight Stempel provides within his essay, which I feel has given me a complete understanding of Iago, confidently, in the way which Shakespeare