1. Joe Emerson Final Term Paper
Prof. O’Shaughnessy Shakespeare
The Psychoanalysis of Iago
Iago, the villainous bastard, from Othello, is a character that begs to be
psychoanalyzed. Throughout the play, Iago lies and manipulates people in order to get
what he wants. There are several questions though that we must ask in order to see whom
Iago truly is: what does he want; what motivates him; why does he continue to act the
way he does even after his goals have been met?
Within the first scene of the play, Iago makes two important statements that begin
to clue the reader in on his intentions and motives. Beginning on line 15 of the first
scene, Iago laments that a fellow officer that has been chosen over him by Othello, and
awarded the rank of lieutenant.
“Horribly stuffed with epithets of war,
And, in conclusion,
Nonsuits my mediators. For, ‘Certes,’ says he,
‘I have already chosen my officer.’
And what was he?
Forsoothe, a great arithmetician,…”
“…One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,

2. A fellow almost damned in a fair wife,
That never set squadron in the field
Nor the division of battle knows
More that a spinster—unless the bookish theoric,
Wherein the togaed consuls can propose
As masterly as he. Mere Prattle without practice
Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had the’election;” I.I.15-28
This passage gives the reader various insights into the mind of Iago. First, it must be
recognized that the action of his not being chosen is his first motivational factor which
drives him to commit more devious deeds throughout that play. Second, we must put
ourselves in Iago’s shoes; when we do this in concert with the lines describing Cassio
(21-28), it is no great surprise that Iago is jealous and thus jibes at Cassio. Jealousy is a
primal instinct and emotion that we all possess and feel. Iago, in various instances
throughout the play, will use this (his own flaw) to elicit contempt of the heart and mind
in others. In lines 44-46 of the same scene Iago states plainly how he plans to deceive and
exact his revenge on Othello:
“I follow him to serve my turn upon him.
We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly followed.”

3. Further along in the play Iago makes clear another motivating factor that fuels his fire;
insecurity.
“Now, I do love her too,
Not out of absolute lust—though peradventure
I stand accountant for as great a sin—
But partly led to diet my revenge
For that I do suspect the lusty Moor
Hath leaped into my seat, the thought whereof
Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my innards;
And nothing can or shall content my soul
Till I am evened with him, wife for wife…” II.I.293-301
This passage reveals that Iago has a suspicion that Othello has held unnatural court with
Emilia (Iago’s wife). This is a clear case of insecurity, for it is within a relationship that
one is insecure with themselves that suspicion and jealousy rear the duplicitous and
iniquitous head of revenge. At the climax of the play, this theory is corroborated by
Emilia.
“Oh, fie upon them! Some such squire he was
That turned your wit the seamy side without
And made you suspect me with the Moore.” IV.II.152-154
Now, knowing that Iago has harbored this suspicion deep within himself, it is all the
more clear why he strives to ruin Othello. Iago claims to Roderigo that he is doing all this

4. merely for “sport” but this is an understatement. Iago is not as evil and simple as we
think; conversely he is just as human as anyone else, and like anyone else, he has various
complex emotions. Emotions impel people; whether or not the intention is good or bad. It
is a combination of insecurity and jealousy that lead Iago to ruin Othello’s relationship
and life as a whole.
Iago is more or less like a bullied schoolboy on the inside. He is jealous of
Cassio, who stole his office and he is envious of Othello, who he supposes has at one
point stolen his wife. The reader must assume that Iago is devastatingly hurt when the
play begins. This must be kept in mind in order to entertain this psychological profile. If
it is presumed that Iago has some deep emotional scars, than the argument can be made
that at the beginning of the story Iago has only recently reached his breaking point; thus
Cassio’s promotion was the last straw. The camel’s back being broken, Iago has decided
to take action and exact his revenge on Othello. All the more to his semi-deranged glee,
he will use the man that has taken his office (Cassio) as a pawn to deceive Othello and
wreck his mind with imaginings of adultery. Here are some examples of how Iago
manipulates Othello and subtly convinces him that his wife is unfaithful.
O. “What dost thou think?”
I. “Think my lord?”
O. “ ‘Think my lord?’ By heaven, thou echo’st me, as if there were
Some monster in thy thought too hideous to be shown”

5. In this first excerpt Iago is being slick, by not answering Othello’s question of his wife’s
infidelity directly; Iago elicits suspicion in Othello’s mind by remaining a mere sounding
board. It is here that Othello supposes that Iago knows more than he is willing to tell, but
Iago will spill in time, although the information he will disclose will be enhanced lies.
I. “And did you see the handkerchief?”
O. “Was that mine?”
I. “Yours, by this hand. And to see how he prizes
the foolish woman your wife! She gave it him, and he
hath given it his whore.”
O. “I would have him nine years a-killing. A fine
woman! A fair woman! A sweet woman!”
I. “Nay, you must forget that.” IV.I.176-183
This passage illustrates how Iago uses the devices he has set up to deceive Othello and
imply Desdemona’s infidelity directly. As this passage continues in the play, Othello
discusses various ways to murder Desdemona that very evening: hanging, poisoning, and
chopping into messes are a few of his homicidal musings. Iago lends his contemptuous
hand: “Do it not with poison. Strangle her in bed, even the bed she hath contaminated”
(IV.I.209-210). It is Iago’s suggestion that leads to the murder of Desdemona. His
expertise in deception has clouded Othello’s confidence. And, it is this fog of lies that has
enabled Iago to come to a position power in so much that even the way Othello is to

6. murder his own wife is decided by him. Iago has used his lies to exact his revenge and at
this point in the play he realizes that it has all come full circle, he has succeeded.
Iago is a character that is fueled by jealousy. Most of his words are false; he lies
and plots to ensure that all will go according to his plan. Within the confines of the play
Iago can be described as having a case of extreme mania. His madness is merely a fit, all
be it the first and only he has. What is important to remember is that Iago is the main
character in this play. Although the play is the tragedy of Othello, it is Iago who the
reader is focused on, and it is Iago that makes the play happen; without him there would
be no tragedy, and thus no play. He is a man driven to mania by his human emotions, and
commits devious deeds in order to exact his revenge, best summed up in his own words:
“Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green eyed monster,
Which doth mock the meat it feeds on” (III.iii.167-8).
This quote proves pivotal in order to entertain the idea that Iago is in fact jealous. He is
telling Othello to be cautious of jealousy; the irony is that Iago is the green eyed monster
mocking the meat (Othello) it feeds on. It is also ironic that he would ward against
jealousy as he attempts to bring it about in Othello. Finally, it is yet again ironic that he
says this because this is precisely the advice that Iago should have heeded himself. He is
the one that was jealous to being with; suppose now that his jealousy is the monster
mocking him, this is true, because the audience is watching (reading) the play and it is
evident that all delights come in the form of Iago’s escapades. The quote then is a true

7. statement; jealousy has turned Iago in to the lump of wretched meat which the audience
may revel in seeing turn a putrid green as it decomposes.