Othello&Iago: the Parting of the Ways

In Othello, Shakespeare wrote Iago as the malignant force that brings about the downfall of the hero. Through him and within 3 days, chaos is come.

Yet, in Othello as in all Shakespeare's plays, the characters aren't as straightforward as they seem. And as always, the play is more than just a plot. It serves also as a mirror to Shakespeare's reflexion on Renaissance Europe and on how people's understanding of the world was about to change forever. Beyond his plays, he sought to give his Elizabethan audiences a renewed approach to love, power, language, time, and more.

Thus, in Othello Iago is not just the "must-have" villain of yet another tragedy. He is above all the voice Shakespeare chose to convey his lessons.

Cette analyse de la pièce Othello, de Shakespeare, porte sur le personnage de Iago. Elle tente de mettre fin aux débats sur les motivations du personnage en cherchant son sens au travers des effets de mirroir entre Iago et les autres protagonistes de la pièce. L'analyse s'efforce ensuite de démontrer que Iago ne peut se résumer qu'à son rôle conventionnel du "villain" car c'est à travers lui que Shakespeare a apporté à son public de l'époque une nouvelle vision du monde et des hommes.