Othello Write In the tragedy Othello by William Shakespeare The conniving character Iago’s evil leads to the undoing of the other characters. It is Iago’s henise skill of understanding and manipulating the wants and desires of those around him that makes him a dangerous character. His lack of a constant motivation throughout the play show his true underlying desire, his homosexual love for Othello and Cassio and the enjoyment he receives from the pain and damage he causes.
The worst characteristic of Iago’s evil is his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions. In the beginning , Iago claims to be angry at Othello for having passed him over for the position of lieutenant but, this motivation does not stay constant throughout the play. At the end of Act I, Iago states that he thinks Othello slept with his wife, Emilia, “It is thought abroad that ’twixt my sheets / He has done my office” Iago again states his motivation for revenge again saying “wife for wife” explaining that he wants to have sex with Desdemona because he wants to get even with Othello. Iago’s lack of motivation makes his evil actions more treacherous and maniacal. None of these seems to explain Iago’s hatred of Othello, which begs the question if Iago’s evil is because a hidden homosexual love Iago has for Othello.
Without a consistent motivation for Iago’s trecorous revenge plot the reader can infer that Iago’s true motive for plotting against Othello is his forbidding homosexual love for the general and therefore jealous of Othello's relationship with Desdemona. In act 3 the reader can see Iago’s love in Iago’s use of diction when pledging allegiance to Othello “I am your own forever” The use of the words “forever” and “own” show that Iago truly desires to be Othello’s lover and invoke a distinctly romantic tone. Iago’s homosexuality can also be seen when he implies that he