In the Times of the Butterflies

Racism is undoubtedly a feature of the play, but it is, in actual fact, incidental. It does serve a theatrical purpose in that it marks Othello as an outsider. The other by-product of the race issue is to portray Othello as a man of great worth, who has risen to the position of governor, despite the prejudice against him. However, the core of the play has very little to do with race. Iago's reasons for destroying Othello have nothing to do with the colour of his skin. Instead, Iago's actions are motivated out of jealousy and ambition.

Iago: Archetypal Villain

Iago is an overtly Machiavellian character. Shakespeare appears to have developed Iago from earlier works, such as Richard III. There is also a link to Medieval Morality plays. Iago represents the character of Vice, who, in the Morality plays, was always given the most elaborate language.

Iago is undoubtedly the most eloquent of the characters (although Othello also has some wonderful verse), but this partly due to necessity. He has to be the most articulate, because it is his power of persuasion that allows Othello to be taken in by his lies and manipualtion.

He dominates the play with numerous soliloquies, in which he reveals his true colours to the audience. However, Iago is a fascinating character in that his actions are never really understood.

It is clear that he feels snubbed by the promotion of Cassio, but this alone does not seem adequate motive for the carnage caused in the final scenes. At the end of the play, when Iago is asked 'why?' his response is merely "What you know, you know."(V.ii)

The play ends quite abruptly with a deus ex machina, consisting of the revelation of letters written between Roderigo and Iago. This has led some to believe that Shakespeare finished writing the play in a hurry, or simply did not know how to bring the work to a satisfactory conclusion.

The letters aside, Iago's response is in character and is likely to have been a very deliberate inclusion by Shakespeare. Iago is one of the great villains of English literature and it is fitting that his actions are never justified. This is another way in which Shakespeare ensures that Othello is an inherently 'good' character. An audience feels empathy for his ordeal and contempt for the character that caused it.

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