The Relationship Between Othello and Iago (Material)

The Relationship Between Othello and Iago
At the start of Othello, Iago makes very clear to Roderigo the

apparent cause for his hatred of the general. His lack of
promotion to lieutenant leads him to declare:
… be judge yourself,Whether I in any just term am affin'dTo love

the Moor.(I.i.38-40)Such a motive is not a grand-scale one, nor
one which might cast Iago as the UniversalVillain. His secondary
motive, however, provides a different insight into his
character,and provides the first instance of the theme which will
dominate this play—sexualjealousy:
I hate the Moor,
And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets
He's done my office;
(I.iii.384-386)
More than this, however, it is the very fact that he acknowledges

the nature of thesuspicion (rumor) and then dismisses it from his
mind that shows the inherently insecurenature of this villain. He
has fallen into the same trap over Cassio ("For I fear Cassio
withmy nightcap too" [II.i.302]), and his jealousy is attested to
even by his wife:
Some such squire he was,
That turn'd your wit, the seamy side without,
And made you suspect me with the Moor.
(IV.ii.147-149)
The deep—rooted cause for this combination of insecurity and

jealousy lies deep within his psyche. We must remember the
shared history of Othello and Iago, which in fact far transcends
that shared by Othello and Desdemona. Othello makes much of
the fact that,
… since these arms of mine had seven years' pith
Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used
Their dearest action in the tented field.
(I.iii.83-85)
He also states that he does "agnize / A natural and prompt

alacrity / I find in hardness"(I.iii.231-233). The Duke and his court
all acknowledge Othello's military experience and command, and
Lodovico recognizes OTHELLO'S solid virtue [which] The shot of
accident nor dart of chance Could neither graze nor pierce.
(IV.i.267-269)
This consistent military service of over thirty years (given

Othello's own description of himself as "declined /Into the vale of
years" [III.iii.265-266]) has left Othello without those " soft parts
of conversation / That chamberers have" (III.iii.264-265). We are
also told, and have no reason to dispute it, that Iago has served
with Othello at "Rhodes, atCyprus, and on other grounds /
Christian and heathen" (I.i.29-30). Iago is twenty-eightyears old
(I.iii.312) and is clearly a career soldier, since he is chaffing over
his lack ofpromotion. As Harold Bloom points out2, the inevitable
comradeship between soldiers ofthis nature is both intense and
binding. Although many of the characters throughout theplay call
Iago "honest" and refer to his "honesty," it is Othello who uses the
epithet morefrequently than anyone else. And against the
background of protestation from Emilia,Desdemona herself and,
eventually, Cassio, Othello is prepared to take the word of
his"Ancient" above all others. We might well ask why, apart from
dramatic necessity, thisshould be the case.
The answer lies in the extraordinary comradeship which military
service in the face ofdeath can bring. No specific mention is
made, but we might assume that Othello and Iagohave fought
side-by-side. It is, after all, where the General and the Ancient
would befound. Iago reports the detail of how Othello has
remained unmoved while those aroundhim have been killed, with
a veracity which indicates first-hand knowledge:
I have seen the cannon,
When it hath blown his ranks into the air;
And (like the devil) from his very arm
Puff'd his own brother….
(III.iv.131-134)
The friendship and obligation brought about by this kind of

service cannot be overlooked,and it provides a powerful shared
history.
Rejection, therefore, by the General whom Iago has followed and

served, is a blow whicha man, insecure in other ways (his sexual
jealousy of his wife) would find hard toshoulder. The fact that he
had apparently been supported by three great ones of the
city"(I.i.7) in his quest for promotion is another indication,
possibly, of not only his reputation within Venice, but of his
disbelief in his fate. The disappointment is compounded by
theselection of a Florentine (when the rivalry between the city
states of Venice and Florence was intense) who is unhardened by
military experience and "That never set a squadron inthe field"
(I.i.22). It is consequently not such a great step from loyal and
honest companion to "villainous knave" and "scurvy fellow"
(IV.ii.140-141) as Emilia ironically calls the unknown defamer of
Desdemona's virtue. Scorned and overlooked by the great leader,
Iago is left with nothing but his anger and his sense of
abandonment. Despite his initial claims, he is not that interested
in reclimbing the ladder of military promotion. Ithas, after all,
rejected him, and the days of "old gradation" (I.i.37) based upon
"honest"service are gone. And, he is promoted to the position of
Lieutenant at the end of III.iii.What is left to Iago is the sheer
pleasure of destroying all that he had believed in, and which is
reflected in Othello's eulogy over himself:
Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content!
Farewell the pluméd troops, and the big wars
That make ambition virtue—O, farewell!
Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, th'ear-piercing fife,
The royal banner, and all quality,
Pride, pomp, and circumstance, of glorious war!
(III.iii.348-354)
As Iago gloats at the loss of Othello's "sweet sleep" displayed in

the speech above, he fails to recognize the ironic reflection on
himself. Iago is losing exactly what Othello is,for, as a career
soldier, his links with Othello's experiences are inextricable
.Against this friendship and comradeship, forged in the hardships
of war, the relationship between Othello and Desdemona does
indeed show as something insubstantial. It is based clearly upon a
misconception:
She loved me for the dangers I had passed,
And I loved her that she did pity them. (I.iii.167-168)
Each has fallen in love with the romantic image of the other, not
the physical reality.Again, as Bloom has pointed out, their
courtship, marriage, and their short time togetherafter that event,
leaves them very little opportunity either to get to know each
otherproperly or, perhaps, even to consummate their marriage.
Iago carefully marginalizesOthello from his new wife by
emphasizing the differences in their background andcultural
experience:
I know our country disposition well;
In Venice they do let God see the pranks
They dare not show their husbands….
(III.iii.205-207)
He also reinforces the unnaturalness of the relationship between

Othello and Desdemonawho rejected "many proposed matches /
Of her own clime, complexion, and degree" (III.iii.233-234). The
more Iago drives the wedge between Othello and his love, the
moredependent Othello becomes on Iago, for, indeed, there is no-
one else to whom he canturn. His lieutenant Cassio is suspected
with Othello's wife, and on Cyprus, Othello is not in a position to
explore his fears with relative strangers. Their past joins Iago and
Othello,and their present enmeshes them even more firmly. For
Othello, there is only Iago inwhom he can trust and upon whom
he can rely. "Honest" Iago takes order for the death ofCassio; and
"honest, honest Iago" (V.ii.155), Othello's "friend" provides
thecircumstantial and "occular" proof of Desdemona's treachery.
As Iago has planned, hehas made Othello
… thank me, love me, and reward me,
For making him egregiously as ass.
(II.i.303-304)
and Othello declares "I am bound to thee forever" (III.iii.218). In

the blackest of ironies,Iago returns the compliment after the
sacrilegious oath-taking at the end of III.iii: "I amyour own for
ever" (line 486). Like an incubus, Iago now cannot exist without
Othello, asit is Othello's destruction which gives purpose and
direction to Iago's life. As Othellorecognizes that the mere
appearance of the dead Desdemona will "hurl my soul
fromheaven" (V.ii.275), so he is even at the end of the play linked
to the demi-devil" (302)and "hellish villain" (369) who has
"ensnar'd [his] soul and body" (line 303). In plantingthe seeds of
doubt and destruction in Othello, Iago planted the very seeds of
his own fall:
"for what soever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

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The Relationship Between Othello and Iago

At the start of Othello, Iago makes very clear to Roderigo the

… be judge yourself,Whether I in any just term am affin'dTo love

I hate the Moor,

And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets

He's done my office;

More than this, however, it is the very fact that he acknowledges

Some such squire he was,

That turn'd your wit, the seamy side without,

And made you suspect me with the Moor.

The deep—rooted cause for this combination of insecurity and

… since these arms of mine had seven years' pith

Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used

Their dearest action in the tented field.

He also states that he does "agnize / A natural and prompt

This consistent military service of over thirty years (given

I have seen the cannon,

When it hath blown his ranks into the air;

And (like the devil) from his very arm

Puff'd his own brother….

The friendship and obligation brought about by this kind of

Rejection, therefore, by the General whom Iago has followed and

Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content!

Farewell the pluméd troops, and the big wars

That make ambition virtue—O, farewell!

Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump,

The spirit-stirring drum, th'ear-piercing fife,

The royal banner, and all quality,

Pride, pomp, and circumstance, of glorious war!

As Iago gloats at the loss of Othello's "sweet sleep" displayed in

She loved me for the dangers I had passed,

And I loved her that she did pity them. (I.iii.167-168)

I know our country disposition well;

In Venice they do let God see the pranks

They dare not show their husbands….

He also reinforces the unnaturalness of the relationship between

… thank me, love me, and reward me,

For making him egregiously as ass.

and Othello declares "I am bound to thee forever" (III.iii.218). In

"for what soever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

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