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Description:

Why did Iago want to destroy Othello? Shmoop amongst yourselves.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

Othello, a la Shmoop: Sex, Lies and That Pesky Handkerchief.

00:12

We all know that jealousy can be a problem . . .

00:13

. . . especially when it makes us lose control. And our hero Othello sure knows something

00:21

about losing control. When his buddy Iago starts spreading nasty

00:26

rumors . . . . . . about Othello's wife, Desdemona . . .

00:28

. . . he goes a little nuts . . . . . . and the poor girl doesn't have a chance.

00:32

But why would Iago do such a thing? Why would he go to so much trouble to bring

00:36

Othello down? Maybe he's just a racist - angry about a

00:39

black man's success. He does refer to him as a "black ram"

00:44

and "the devil" when talking to Desdemona's father.

00:47

No doubt, a black man in a position of power . . .

00:49

. . . would have gotten more than a few people riled up.

00:53

Speaking of hatred . . . . . . Iago makes his feelings for Othello

00:55

pretty clear from page one. Right from the beginning, Iago complains about

01:00

being passed up for a promotion. So was he ticked off enough about Othello

01:04

giving his job to Cassio . . . . . . that he would actually destroy poor

01:08

Cassio's life? Could be, but some people think Iago's lust

01:14

wasn't just job related . . . . . . that he orchestrated Desdemona's death

01:18

so he could have Othello for himself. After all, Iago tells Othello in Act 3, and

01:23

we quote, "I am your own forever." Sounds like more than a dedicated employee

01:28

to us. Could all that tragedy have sprung out of

01:31

a simple case of unrequited love? Possibly. But Shakespeare's hints about

01:36

Iago's motivation may have left out one other possibility.

01:39

Maybe he's just a really, really bad guy . . .

01:43

. . . a guy who loves stirring things up more than anything. . .

01:46

. . . a complete sociopath . . . . . . who delights in others' misery . . .

01:49

. . . and gets pleasure from being the smartest person in the room.

01:53

From his comments to the audience, it's clear that Iago enjoys controlling every situation

01:57

. . . . . . even if we're never really sure why

02:01

he's doing it. So, what was behind Iago's master plan of

02:04

destruction? And why did Shakespeare leave it for us to

02:07

figure out? Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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