An In-Depth Analysis of the Characters of Othello and Iago

Othello: An In-depth Analysis of the Characters of Othello and Iago
Othello and Iago
According to play critiques, the relationship between Othello and Iago is actually the most important part of the play. It is even more essential than that of the relationship of Othello and Desdemona. The reason is that Iago somewhat fuels up the character of Othello. They are totally complementary to each other, yet in some ways completely opposite. To be able to compare and contrast their characters and show their similarities and differences, each of them should be described first.
Othello
Shakespeare justified the character of Othello as the best and perfect combination of greatness and weakness. As described in the play, he was an “honourable murderer.” A foreigner from Africa, he rendered his service to the Venetian defense forces and later became a general because of his dedication and excellence. Since he is from Africa, Othello, clearly, is a black face in a sea of white people. That is why he was repetitively called as the “Moor” of Venice, which literally means an “African Representative.” Most play critiques would say that this concept of Othello being black in a crowd where everybody is white symbolizes racism, especially that the characters in the play treated him as somewhat different – because he was indeed different. He was great and honourable. It was actually only Desdemona who saw him as one exceptional individual. Even Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, who was very fond of Othello in the first scene delivered lines of racism when Iago tells him that Desdemona eloped with Othello,
“BRABANTIO
She, in spite of nature,
Of years, of country, credit, every thing,
To fall in love with what she feared to look on!
It is a judgment maimed and most imperfect
That will confess perfection so could err
Against all rules of nature, (1.3.114-119)”
Brabantio speaks here that to be black and to fall in love with a black is a sin and against the law of nature. However, Shakespeareans maintain that his being black is not a symbol of racism; rather, it is a symbol of the Elizabethan morality in terms of the concept of colour: that black is wickedness while white is honour; and, black is guilt while white is innocence. Shakespeareans maintain that Othello’s being black is a representation of the colour itself and not the race (Othello, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).
Iago
While Othello is the symbol of the combination of greatness and weakness, Iago was presented by Shakespeare as a “collection of unsolvable puzzles.” His claim is that he is an honest and plain man, yet he is a critically manipulative lying companion. In plain English, he is regarded as a friend who stabs another in the back each and every time he has the chance. As quoted below, these lines would prove such:
“IAGO
Call up her father,
Rouse him. Make after him, poison his delight,
Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen,
And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,
Plague him with flies. Though that his joy be joy,
Yet throw such changes of vexation on 't
As it may lose some color. (1.1.74-80)
What is exceptionally beautiful, though, with I...