How does Shakespeare develop the theme of jealousy through Iago’s soliloquies?

Jealousy is at the core of the play Othello written by famous English writer William Shakespeare. It
moves the plot from the very inception, through main characters actions to its tragic climax. Thus, a
lower ranking officer named Iago manipulates respected general Othello into killing his faithful wife
and ultimately taking his own life. In order to provide the audience with clues on how such outcome
can be made possible, Shakespeare makes the evil character Iago develop the theme of jealousy
through seven soliloquies scattered throughout the play. The soliloquies convey to the audience Iago’s
feelings and motives, with the effect enhanced by the deliberate use of verse and prose, and of
dramatic irony to keep spectators fully engaged throughout the play.

In Othello, the villain Iago manipulates the other characters in the play such as Othello, Desdemona,
Cassio and Roderigo. In act 1, Iago tricks Roderigo, a venetian noble into giving him all of his money
and valuables so he can “help” him win Desdemona’s love though in the end of the play his kills him.
In the other acts, he puts in action a fiendish plan where he tricks Othello in believing that Cassio slept
with Desdemona

In Othello, Iago uses verse and prose. At the close of Act 1 Iago uses prose to convince Rodrigo not to kill
himself. Instead he tells Rodrigo to use all his money to win Desdemona from Othello and Cassio. By
speaking in prose he sounds frank and open. However, in his soliloquies, he uses blank verse (a verse with
no rhymes) and reveals his wickedness and jealousy to the audience.

Soliloquies: a character speak when no other characters are present or listening, revealing their inner
most thoughts to the audience, illuminating their private intentions and allowing them to evaluate what
their actions have already accomplished, without offering the other characters the chance to learn what
they are really like.

Through soliloquy Shakespeare subtly presents the twisted nature of his villain

Dramatic irony: its usage gives Shakespeare and his actor a strange-hold on their
audience, raising tension and creating an intimacy between actor and audience.
Shakespeare is able to invite the audience into the minds of both Iago and Othello through
soliloquy, and through his use of language and imagery can depict in great force the state
of their minds to the audience, writhing up tension and atmosphere. One of Othello’s most
prominent soliloquies sees him wrestling with a number of conclusions, wavering
between believing Iago and trusting his wife, his uncertainty

Iago’s use of soliloquies reinforces his power. In Othello, Iago speaks his soliloquies first (Othello’s
soliloquies occur towards the end of the play), drawing the audience in as he outlines his intentions.
Because we know exactly what his plans are, we might feel that Shakespeare forces us to admire
the villain. Iago’s soliloquies and asides are also a source of a great deal of the dramatic irony of
Othello, which increases dramatic tension.

Iago’s use of soliloquies reinforces his power. In Othello, Iago speaks his soliloquies first (Othello’s
soliloquies occur towards the end of the play), drawing the audience in as he outlines his intentions.
Because we know exactly what his plans are, we might feel that Shakespeare forces us to admire
the villain. Iago’s soliloquies and asides are also a source of a great deal of the dramatic irony of
Othello, which increases dramatic tension.

The language Shakespeare uses differs largely when Iago is on stage with other characters and
when he is on stage alone. Around other characters, his language is refined and sophisticated, and
he mostly speaks in verse. However, when he is on stage alone and speaks only to the audience
(this device is called a "soliloquy" and is frequently employed by Shakespeare in order to give the
audience an insight into the character's inner thoughts), his language differs greatly. It is much
more derogatory (e.g., he calls Othello an "old black ram", but when Othello is present, he
shamelessly declares: "my Lord, you know I love you"). In the soliloquies, it is also not uncommon
that Iago speaks in prose rather than in verse, which, in Shakespeare's day, was considered to be
of lower status and thus may indicate that the character speaking in prose is not as "noble" as
those speaking in verse. This contrast in the language Shakespeare employs for Iago
thus represents the ambivalent nature of his character.

He is consumed with jealousy of Cassio and masked with hatred of Othello because he was
not chosen as lieutenant, Cassio was. Iago is selfish in that he wants everyone to feel as he
does so he engineers the jealousy of other characters.

That being said, it is just as easy to argue that Iago is the more jealous of the two. He is
terribly jealous of the fact that Othello promoted Cassio over him, and he is also jealous of
Othello's popularity.

Driven by an overpowering lust for evil rivaled only by Satan, Iago grabs the title as
worst Shakespeare villain hands down. On the surface, Iago's motive for wanting to
destroy Othello could be one of several. The most obvious is that he has just been
passed over for a promotion which has gone to Cassio. He confesses to Roderigo
that this is the reason for his hatred; the reason for his desire to ruin Othello:
One Michael Cassio, a Florentine
(A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife),
That never set a squadron in the field
But he, sir, had th' election ... (1.1.20-27)

Another motive, and possibly a stronger motive than the first, is Iago's jealousy of the
Moor. Iago suspects that his wife, Emilia, has committed adultery with Othello:

... I hate the Moor;

And it is thought abroad that 'twixt my sheets
'Has done my office. I know not if't be true;
Yet I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
Will do as if for surety. (1.3.378-82)

Iago is also jealous of Othello's ability to woo the young and alluring Desdemona. It
is possible that Iago has his own secret passion for the Moor's new bride, and he is
enraged at the idea of the "old black ram" (1.1.88) attaining what he himself desires:

It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor ... She must
change for youth. When she is sated with his body, she will find the error of her
choice. (1.3.340)

Although the aforementioned reasons give Iago adequate motive to want to destroy
Othello, on a more profound level we see that lago's true motive is his blatant love of
evil. Iago is using jealousy and anger as excuses to perpetrate evil. Even if Iago had
received the promotion; even if he had no suspicions or jealous feelings, he would
invent other motives to provide the framework for the diabolical mischief he must
create. To Iago, the ruination of Othello is a game:

Let us be conjunctive against him. If thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a
pleasure, me a sport. (1.3.363)

Honour, loyalty, reverence, and fidelity - the highest and the holiest virtues of
humanity - are but base commodities to be bought and sold. Iago is "an unbeliever
in, and denier of, all things spiritual, who only acknowledges God, like Satan, to defy
him" (William Robertson Turnbull, Othello: A Critical Study, 269). Iago has no
conscience, no ability to perform good deeds. Iago is a psychopath, and is not
capable of forming affectionate relationships or feeling guilt and concern over his
behaviour. Unlike Othello, Iago does not have the free will to refrain from
wickedness. His nature does not enable him to see the goodness in any one or
anything; he is driven by a lust for evil beyond his control.

Iago knows the ability of jealousy, and with this he knows he can manipulate Othello and make him
feel the same discomfort he himself feels. This reveals the enormous amount of preparation Iago has
put into his plan and the true evil that is brewing beneath the surface.