Iago And Marxist Criticism In Shakespeare's Othello

In the play Othello, Iago represents Marxist criticism through his pursuit of power that fuels his need for deceit in the story. He manipulates and deceives the other characters throughout the entire play. For instance when he set Cassio up with drinking the alcohol he got exactly what he wanted out of that, Cassio lost his rank as Lieutenant. Desdemona, Othello, and Roderigo were all deceived by Iago. Desdemona was deceived into thinking that she was helping a strong and noble man even though Iago was using that time to set her up. Othello was fed lies that his wife and Lieutenant were having an affair, leading up to the death of himself along with his wife. Roderigo was blinded by the love he had for Desdemona so badly that he helped Iago

He feels and thinks that he has been cheated, betrayed, made a fool of by others—but he has no proof. His arguments for revenge are built on suspicion, feeling, emotion, and impulse.” (Warnken)

In this quote it proves that Iago wants power as a reward rather than to make himself stronger he wants the characters to feel what they made him feel. When Othello gave the ranking as Lieutenant to Cassio, Iago felt that he had been betrayed by Othello. Iago saw himself as the best for the position just as a person would who wanted control. He never sees Cassio as the superior Lieutenant, but as a man who was no better than him. Iago wanted for himself what he couldn’t have, so he did what he knew best, took

One criticism that he doesn’t portray is Feminist criticism. Iago cares about himself and his reputation than he does his own wife. If Iago doesn’t care about his wife then why is he married? Iago is married for one simple reason, his need for control. “ Good girl, give it to me” ( Act III, Scene III 322). In this quote Iago’s choice of words shows how he sees her, as his possession. This is why Marxist criticism is the criticism that best describes Iago, he is the true definition of a Marxist character. He likes that sense of power that he has over her and their marriage. Iago doesn’t care about the relationship that he and Emilia have but he cares about what come with the thought of marriage. Typically in a marriage the man is who pays the bills, runs the household, and makes the wife stay home. Iago wanted to feel like a better man in life, he wanted to have a good reputation, a wife that obeyed him, and the perfect