Andrew Moulton

Southern New Hampshire Universitys Shakespeare 319

Professor Paul Rosenberg
Final Paper: William Shakespeares Othello
April 26, 2015

Iagos Garden
Though not categorized as an historical play, The Tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice
draws its plot from the wars which ravaged Venice and Turkey in the sixteenth century. Defined
as one of Shakespeares Great Tragedies, it is a tale of four major characters: Othello, a noble
Moor and general of the Venetian State; Desdemona, his new Venetian wife; Cassio, Othellos
newly appointed lieutenant; and Iago, Othellos trusted confidant and advisor. At the outset of
the play, Iago has been overlooked by Othello for the position of lieutenant. Iago appears to be
embittered and as evidence states that despite earning rights to the title through efforts in battle
at Rhodes, at Cyprus and on other grounds Chrisitan and heathen, (ll.29-30) it is the Florentine
strategist Michael Cassio who has been awarded the position by election (l. 27), a promotion
dismissed by Iago as worthless and consisting of only certificates and social standing. While
Iagos motivations remain debatable, it is shown that he employs many tactics in his quest to
attain the lieutenancy; a genteel tactic in his repertoire is his verbal reference of plants and
gardening- one which aims to establish himself as a part of the nobility and thus deserving of the
lieutenancy, while also justifying his consequent actions as natural and pardonable.
Iago is no ordinary soldier. He is widely regarded as bold (l.852), just (l.2065), good (l.
2917), and most importantly to the development of the plot, honest (ll.638, 651, 996). He is
adaptable and well versed in language, and particularly gifted with tactical brilliance; as such he

cannot be content to suffer what he considers an affront to his abilities and his stature in life. But
as Bernard Spivak points out, Iagos character escapes easy categorization. What Iago is like
becomes a distracting substitution for what he really is, (p. 343). Iagos character is a paradox in
which some of our current naturalistic subtleties are not valid, (Spivak p. 342). Due to his
psychologically complex and reflective nature, Iago is definitely not the stock archetype of
vice, (Hyman in McHugh). And according to actor Liev Schreiber, through the character of
Iago Shakespeare might be saying that evil is a manifestation of humanityan inherent part of
who you are, (Interviewing Iago). Regardless, definitively bound to the purpose of revenge,
Iago refuses to submit to societys hierarchies and with a waning career, no child, and little to
lose, he enacts a plot that while initially intending to only demote Cassio, promote himself, and
stab Othello for his weakness in submitting to societys expectations, rapidly cascades into chaos
and bloodshed.
Iago deeply understands the psychology of men, and with little regard for societal values,
employs a two-pronged attack in his quest for the lieutenancy that includes both verbal and
actionable tactics. His plotted verbal tactics, while originally carefully plotted, responsive to
individual characteristics, and sensitive, quickly demand improvisational responses. For example
in speaking to Roderigo Iago says, If thou be'st valiant, as, they say, base men being in love
have then a nobility in their natures more than is native to themlist mefirst, I must tell thee
thisDesdemona is directly in love with [Cassio], (ll. 1012-1017). Iago knows Roderigos
sensitivities and first lifts him with praise before shocking him with the unexpected news that
then gives him new reason to pursue his courtship of the lovely Desdemona. Later in the play
when words fail, Iago acts boldly and with conviction. This is most apparent in Act V Scene I,
when sensing that Roderigo will not be capable of killing Cassio, Iago commits to slicing Cassio,

No, he must die, (l. 3157). When Roderigo has failed to kill Cassio, Iago again takes up the
dagger and silences Roderigo forever. Whether quietly manipulative, or bloody and active, Iago
is fearless in committing himself to any and all deeds which will enable him to assume the
lieutenancy.
A a quieter component of the verbal tactics, having been said in private to Roderigo or to
the audience in soliloquy, Iagos references to the botanical world gently assert that he is
knowledgeable- a true renaissance man- and deserving of standing within the upper class
nobility. The references work in subtlety, and suggest more about his character than the more
overt and less easily defined motivations. His first and most potent reference to gardening comes
as he is supporting Roderigo with the courage to remain diligent in his love for Desdemona (and
thus remain a source of financial income for Iago):
'Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners: so that if we will
plant nettles, or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme, supply it with one gender of
herbs, or distract it with many, either to have it sterile with idleness, or manured with
industry, why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills, (ll. 678-685).
This passage has the desired effect upon Roderigo who, renewed of hope, gaily dances off to sell
all his land and join the party to Cyprus. This passage is also suggestive of Iagos beliefs
concerning fate. I believe that he is reflecting upon his own experiences and speaking truthfully
when he assures Roderigo that a persons destiny can be shaped by the hand of man, if he is
careful and determined to do so. Ironically enough, Iagos reputation as honest blinds Roderigo
to the fact that he is being played by a skilled manipulator, and tongue in cheek, it is in fact Iago
who is the shaper of destinies.

Iago is a meticulous gardener and if I were to envision his garden I could see a square
hedge of white and red roses, beautiful, perfumed, and as suggestive of innocence and blood as
they are, for its thorns, impenetrable. His garden would have but one gate, heavily made of
wrought iron which gives way, as mentioned first in the above passage, to a bed of nettle as well
as layers of thistle and poppy, each of which are as beautiful as they are temptingly poisonous.
The garden would be accentuated with enormous and well manicured pines, and as a centerpiece,
a tree of Jasmine. The overall feel would be aesthetically pleasing but unrestful; and very, very
dangerous. In fact, Iagos botanical references toward Othello contain poison: Ill pour this
pestilence into his ear, (ll.1508); The Moor already changes with my poison. Dangerous
conceits are in their natures poisons Not poppy nor mandragora nor all the drowsy syrups of
the world shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep, (ll. 1998-2008). Iagos botanical
knowledge is deep as it is practical, in it is suggested the fact that nature is commandingly
powerful and capable of yielding extreme beauty while dealing death to those wise to its potions.
Despite Iagos emphasis on the individuals will to shape his destiny, in this play there is
a feeling that Nature commands all outcomes. So while Iago is a good gardener and a forceful
cultivator, in the end he fails to consider all eventualities, especially the allegiance of his wife
Emilia, and leaves too much blood to overlook in a civil society. Iagos deeds are, in reality,
nothing but the application, by a professional soldier without private ethics, of military tactics to
private and personal affairs, (McCloskey 28). Iago is not the strategist that Michael Cassio is,
but the tactician. His weakness in failing to recognize that the tactics which work in the field of
battle, and which do not work in civilian life, make Thomas Bowman state that if the end result
had been anything else, the play would have stood for the inevitable supremacy of evil over
good and been too monstrous to endure, (p. 469). That Iago fails in the end is reassurance that it

is Nature, and not the willful individual, that balances the division of power in the world. It is
also reassurance that evil will be halted and that order will remain established within society,
even during a time of transition.
As a bit of context in explaining why the character of Iago is noteworthy, James McHugh
details the historical significance of such a character in public theater. As a reflection of
medieval society at the time of its writing, The Tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice marks a
transition taking place in England and Europe at this time, and especially with the character of
Iago, one can infer that his character, as ferocious as he is, can be seen as the voice of the
changes being witnessed in society. The hierarchy of medieval Europe had been dissolving for
some time but with the death of Queen Elizabeth I, it made significant moves toward the meritbased capitalist society of today, (McHugh). [Iagos] malevolence can be interpreted as a
reaction to these fundamental changes that reflects repudiation of qualities and values that
were perceived to be upsetting the sense of certainty and comfort that the remnants of medieval
order offered to many people at that time, (McHugh). Iago is the individual screaming for his
place in the world, for the recognition of his deeds and the rewards of his efforts; he is the voice
of the future.
In referencing the botanical world, readers come to understand that Iago is an
exceedingly complex figure in Shakespearian writing who escapes easily categorization. Being a
soldier and personally witnessing death and shifts in power, I cannot believe that Iago truly
believes in the power of the will to supersede fate; however, he does attempt it and in examining
his use of botanical references readers can gain insight into potential values that motivate this
man. I believe that his botanical references stand to establish Iago as a deeply knowledgeable and
well-versed man who is gifted with many talents, and though medieval Europe did not recognize

shifts in social standing at this time, Iago is well deserving of the lieutenancy. While his actions
might be socially unacceptable, his machinations at the verbal level, and especially in his
references to the botanical world, are sophisticated and while definitely not a part of the
established nobility, would stand him in like company. The unfortunate fact remains that Iagos
actions remain socially unacceptable and therefore punishable. However, I believe that as the
voice of the fast approaching governance model, his actions are justified, natural, and in the end,
when considering the injustice he suffers due to the lack of recognition in his chosen career,
pardonable.

Works Cited
Bowman, Thomas D. A Further Study in the Characterization and Motivation of Iago. College
English 4.8 (1943): 460-469. JSTOR. Web. 10 April 2015.
Interviewing Iago. Literary Cavalcade 54.7 (2002). ProQuest. Web. 10 April 2015.
McHugh, James T. Iago the Meritocrat: Conflicting Interpretations of Individualism in the Early
Modern Period. Social Science Journal 46.4 (2009): 617-631. Web. 21 April 2015.
McCloskey, John C. The Motivation of Iago. College English 3.1 (1941): 25-30. JSTOR. Web.
10 April 2015.
Module Five Overview: King Richard III of England versus Shakespeares Richard III.
LIT-319-Q4380 Blackboard. 18 April 2015. Lecture.
Module Two Overview: Shakespeares Tragedies. LIT-319-Q4380 Blackboard. 18 April
2015. Lecture.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice. Open Source Shakespeare.
George Mason University 2003-2015. Web. 24 March 2015.
Spivak, Bernard. Rev. of Iago: Some Approaches to the Illusion of His Motivation, by Stanley
Edgar Hyman. Shakespeare Quarterly 24.3 (1973):342-343. JSTOR. Web. 10 April
2015.