Why Does Othello Believe Iago?
Shakespeare is renowned for the raw humanity of his characters. Even if the situation the characters are in might be implausible, audience members can imagine that, if they were placed in that situation, they might act the same way. They might have the same gut feelings and make the same mistakes. Othello, however, sometimes tests audiences' willingness to suspend their disbelief. They wonder: why is Iago so convincing? Why does Othello believe him? In this post, we will explore three proposed explanations for Iago's persuasive power.
Iago is a great orator.
The first theory we'll explore focuses on Iago's rhetorical talent. While we could dedicate an entire post to the analysis of the rhetorical strength of Iago's comments to Othello, we will keep the discussion brief here. Throughout Act III, Scene 3, Iago employs rhetorical techniques to sow doubt in Othello's mind about Desdemona's fidelity. He intentionally refrains from making any outright negative commentary about Cassio or Desdemona. Instead, he drops subtle (but pointed) hints that inspire Othello's suspicious thoughts. Take this exchange:
Pathos entails appealing to a listener's emotions. Iago knows that he is playing with not only Othello's mind, but also his heart. He explicitly acknowledges the effect of his words on Othello's emotions, rubbing salt in the wound: "I see this hath a little dashed your spirits" (III.3.250) and "But I do see you're moved" (III.3.254).
Ethos, the most complex of the three modes of persuasion, entails cultivating a persona as a speaker that is trustworthy and sympathetic––someone that a listener would want to believe. Iago portrays himself to Othello as an honest, loving friend and advisor. He claims to make no allegations against Cassio and Desdemona, but offers instead the simple warning that Othello keep an eye on them: "I speak not yet of proof. / Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio" (III.3.237-8). Iago constantly reminds Othello that he has his best interest at heart: "I am glad of this, for now I shall have reason / To show the love and duty that I bear you / With franker spirit" (III.3.224-6). Iago even goes so far as to explicitly advise Othello to curb his suspicions in the iconic line "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on" (III.3.195-7). Iago knows that he has achieved his desired ethos when Othello confirms it: "And for I know thou 'rt full of love and honesty" (III.3.136).
Under this reading of Othello, Iago is a particularly effective persuasive speaker. That talent gives him the opportunity to manipulate Othello and convince him of Desdemona's infidelity and Cassio's betrayal.
Iago is a great improviser.
Let's consider another interpretation––one advanced by Stephen Greenblatt in "The Improvisation of Power," a chapter from Renaissance Self-Fashioning: From More to Shakespeare (University of Chicago Press, 1980). Greenblatt proposes a particular definition of improvisation: the ability to craft a story, convince others to adopt it, and then write those others (and yourself) into the story where and how you wish. He argues that Iago is a great improviser because he keenly observes those around him so that he can tailor his stories to his victims. He understands how Othello sees the world around him––what he notices and what he (accidentally or willfully) ignores––and how the world sees Cassio. He uses this social understanding when he crafts his story of Desdemona's infidelity to make it believable.
Greenblatt cites this excerpt from Iago's soliloquy, which at once emphasizes the improvisational nature of Iago's plan (as Greenblatt says, 232) and reflects his understanding of Othello and Cassio:
To get his place and to plume up my will
In double knavery––How? how?––Let's see.
After some time, to abuse Othello's ear
That he is too familiar with his wife.
He hath a person and a smooth dispose
To be suspected, framed to make women false.
The Moor is of a free and open nature
That thinks men honest but seem to be so,
As will as tenderly be led by th'nose
As asses are.
I have't. It is engendered. Hell and night
Must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light."
By including phrases like "Let me see now" (I.3.426) and "How? how?––Let's see" (I.3.428), Shakespeare conveys that Iago is thinking out loud here. He starts from what he knows (Cassio is virtuous) and what he wants (to replace Cassio as lieutenant). He brainstorms and hatches his plan, at the same time telling the audience about Othello's character (which he characterizes as a gullible willingness to only see the best in people) and Cassio's reputation (as a man appealing to women). By writing these lines for Iago, Shakespeare not only tells the audience about Othello and Cassio––he tells us about how Iago perceives Othello and Cassio. Near the end of the soliloquy, Iago is satisfied with his plan: "I have't. It is engendered" (I.3.446). As the play continues, we realize that Iago's perceptions of Othello and Cassio are correct, or correct enough, because his improvisation works.
In this way, Iago also taps into the more traditional understanding of improvisation as making new, creative use of what you have. He capitalizes on existing social realities––Othello's character and Cassio's reputation––to write a story that those around him will believe, feed them that story, and manipulate them just as an author would script the destiny of the characters is any story he writes.
Iago is a mouthpiece for Venetian society.
This interpretation of Iago's ability to persuade Othello comes from the chapter "Cultural Materialism, Othello, and the Politics of Plausibility" in Alan Sinfield's Faultlines: Cultural Materialism and the Politics of Dissident Reading (University of California Press, 1992). Sinfield interprets the world of the play (or even the world in general, fictional or not) as a "contest of stories" (30) where the most "plausible" (31) story wins. The character with the most power is the one that tells the most plausible story––in Othello, that character is Iago. Sinfield argues that Iago is "convincing not because he is 'superhumanly ingenious but, to the contrary, because his is the voice of 'common sense,' the cease-less repetition of the always-already 'known,' the culturally 'given''" (31, quoting Peter Stallybrass). Iago does not put ideas into Othello's head, but rather amplifies the little voice in Othello's head––the voice of contemporary Venetian society. This voice says that an interracial marriage is doomed to fail. Hence Othello is vulnerable to Iago's manipulation because he has already been primed to believe, by the Venetian society around him, that his marriage to Desdemona will fail because it transgresses cultural norms.
Sinfield argues that this Venetian ideology can also account for Othello's choice to murder Desdemona. According to the Venetian ideology––that little voice in Othello's head––'Moors' are barbarians. The final tragedy of the play is, in Sinfield's reading, Othello's "recognition" (31) that he is the barbarian that Venetian society told him he was. Inspired by Sinfield but going in a slightly different direction, we might also say that the tragedy of the play is Othello's transformation from a human being into a barbarian according to the norms of Venetian society. Ideology is self-fulfilling prophecy.
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| Othello and Iago in Chesapeake Shakespeare Company's 2016 production. Photo credit: Teresa Castracane. |
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