Iago as the Embodiment of Evil

Iago has the ability to turn man‟s inner nature against itself, to extrapolate the bad and eradicate the good. Iago is a man without an active conscience; he has no capability for guilt or remorse for his actions. He has no better nature; his evil extends all the way to his very core. He takes pleasure in manipulating others so that they will harm one another. In Othello, Iago fits all of Haybron‟s descriptions. He is the very embodiment of what Haybron defines as evil, and there are many scenes where this evil is highly apparent.Iago‟s most famous soliloquy takes place in Act 2 Scene 3. In the beginning of the soliloquy, Iago ironically asks how he can be a villain; however, he then states: Divinity of hell!When devils will the blackest sins put on, They do suggest at first with heavenly shows, As I do now. (2.3.350-353) Iago compares himself to a devil; he is aware of his own evil, aware that he is dismissing the natural state of morality, but he chooses to be evil anyway. He is at the very core an evil person, and this bothers him little. Furthermore, in his scheming he takes pleasure in watching Othello, Desdemona, and Cassio unknowingly hurt one another. Iago takes sadistic pleasure in his schemes; there are no good qualities in his nature. He understands Desdemona‟s loyalty to Cassio, turning her virtue into a pitch, using her positive traits to bring out the most negative traits in Othello.Othello does carry one quality that Haybron mentions; he carries strict expectations of how people should behave, and when they do not behave according to these expectations, he is quick to carry out punishment.

کلیدواژه ها:

Jealousy ، Evil Nature ، Savage Nature ، Self-deception