Iago: The Puppetmaster

Iago enters the emotions of Othello through his venomous words. Iago not only employs his speech tactics on others, but on himself as well in order to fortify his self-esteem. Here Iago thinks in metaphor to reinforce his belief and motivation in his schemes. Othello compares Desdemona’s beauty to the light of a candle and the vital growth of a rose. This metaphor instills anger in Brabantio, not because Othello is involved, but because his daughter is losing her purity. Iago, as the deceitful warrior, delivers the final blow upon Othello through his dialect, which severs him both psychologically and physically, from his true emotions with the iniquitous knife of malice and jealousy. With the death of Desdemona and the revelation of the truth, Othello’s anguish fills his heart with guilt resulting in him taking his own life over the body of his wife, his friend, his love. It is the cause … It is the cause … [I’ll not] scar that whiter skin of hers than snow … If I quench thee … I can again thy former light restore … But once put out thy light … I know not where is that Promethean heat that can thy light relume …. Iago exercises a similar, self-fortifying tactic when speaking with Othello in order to provoke self-confidence in his plan, “ [He] will as tenderly be led by the nose as asses are … hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the worlds light” (I. ” By incorporating metaphor, Iago represents himself as the one in control of the situation; he is the one turning the pegs. By doing so, he boosts his self-esteem and further buries himself in cruelty and envy. However, upon looking deeper into the situation, one must realize that it would not be necessary for Othello to convince himself if he had no insecurity.