The first scene begins in the middle of a conversation between Iago and Roderigo. They are talking on a street in Venice, a port city on the east side of Italy. Roderigo is a gentleman, which indicates he is a man of high social standing. He is also, apparently, a man of some wealth. But, as will be quickly revealed, Roderigo is also something of a fool. Roderigo is in love. But the woman he loves does not love him in return. So, like any stereotyped unrequited lover, Roderigo acts foolishly. He will do anything to win Desdemona; and he does not think rationally.
Iago is an ensign in the navy of Venice. At the time of the story, Italy is politically divided into city-states. Each city has its own military force and its own independent rulers. In this case, a duke rules Venice. An ensign in the Venetian navy is an extremely high and honorable rank. In fact, Iago holds the third highest rank in the service. Only the Captain (Othello) and the Lieutenant (Cassio) rank above him.
Iago, as will also be quickly revealed in the play, is a false friend to Roderigo. Iago does not actually like Roderigo at all, but Iago somehow learned about Roderigo’s foolish love. And, so, Iago has decided to take advantage of him. The clever Iago knows that this unrequited lover will do anything to win Desdemona. Roderigo is even willing to spend all of his money to get Desdemona. And the greedy Iago realizes that he can easily take away Roderigo’s money and tell him that he is using it to buy expensive gifts for Desdemona. Thus, Iago is becoming rich by fooling the foolish Roderigo. Iago, then, is also a con man (from confidence man): he knows how to con or cheat people out of their money by falsely gaining their confidence.
The first few lines of the play indicate that
Roderigo has been giving his money to Iago. Roderigo complains that Iago has his “purse as if the strings were thine” (2-3: thine means yours). The word purse here refers to a money-bag, and Roderigo is complaining that Iago is spending all of his money. More importantly, Roderigo is upset because Iago has just told him that Desdemona has eloped (run away to get married) with Othello. Roderigo now feels crushed; he feels that his life is over. He is also beginning to realize that he foolishly gave his money away to Iago.
The first scene then begins to develop the motivation and reason for Iago’s actions throughout the rest of the play. And, at first look, Iago’s reasons appear to be justified.
Iago tries to explain to Roderigo that he had no idea that Desdemona would ever run away with Othello, and Roderigo mentions that Iago had said that he hated Othello (6).
Iago then begins a speech about his feelings toward Othello. Apparently, the Venetian navy lost its lieutenant; and Othello had to choose a replacement. Iago, as next highest ranking officer and as an experienced soldier, would be the logical choice. But, instead, Othello chose Cassio to be the lieutenant. In addition to having experience and high rank, Iago also arranged for three high officials of the city to personally recommend him to Othello. But Othello ignored all of this and still chose Cassio. Iago complains that Othello is too full of pride (12). Iago is saying that Othello ignored logic and references because he is too proud to accept advice from others. Iago, who proves to be a good judge of character, may be right. Othello is essentially a good man, but he does have his faults.
Iago further complains that Cassio was a poor choice. For one, Cassio is a Florentine (from the city of Florence: line 19). Although Florence is a city in Italy, it has its own government. Thus, Cassio is a “foreigner” to Venice. Of course, Othello, who comes from Africa, is also a foreigner in the service of Venice. But more importantly, Cassio is a scholar (“arithmetician” in line 18) who only knows about war from history books. He may know about the theory of war, but he has no experience. As Iago expresses it, this is “mere prattle without practice” (25). The word prattle suggests empty talk. Such theory is useless without having any experience (practice) to know whether the theory will work in any particular military situation. Iago makes a good and valid point. Cassio is not as well qualified as Iago.
Iago’s scorn and bitter contempt for Othello is clear when he refers to Othello as “his Moorship” (32). This is an invented word, punning on worship.
The expression “Your Worship” is often used in
Britain as a title of honor for persons of high standing.
Othello is a Moor, a tribe of people in northern Africa (and from the word Moor comes the name Morocco, the country in northwestern Africa). Iago, then, is ridiculing Othello and suggesting that he is not really deserving of honor or respect.
Iago’s speech then becomes less specific and more general as he talks about “the curse of service” (34). Since all commoners and even many minor aristocrats are in the service of others, Iago’s words have meaning for them. Most people realize that there is truth to Iago’s words. Iago asserts that “Preferment goes by letter and affection, and not by old gradation” (35-36). Here, preferment refers to promotion, to moving up on the social scale. The word letter indicates letters of recommendation, and the word affection refers to whether the person who is doing the hiring or promoting likes the applicant or not. Thus, Iago is stating that people who get promoted do so because they have someone famous write them letters of recommendation or because the boss or executive in charge likes them. The promotion has really very little to do with experience or ability (suggested by the word gradation). In both the Renaissance and in more recent times, numerous people have had the misfortune to be passed over for promotion and see someone less qualified get the position that they should have had instead. Thus, many people can relate to Iago and feel sympathy for him.
When Roderigo comments that Iago should leave the service, Iago says no. He then comments that there are two types of servants (a servant being anyone who is in the service of others). The first type of servant (44-49) slaves away for his master and barely gets enough food to live on. And when he is too old, his master kicks him out and leaves him with nothing. The second type of servant (49-54), though, really serves himself and merely presents the “shows of service” on his master. That is, he pretends to be a good servant; but at all times he is really attempting to make money for himself (the expression “lining their coats” means to hide money within the layers of one’s clothing). Thus, the second type of servant stays with his master until he gets enough money to leave him. The passage also suggests that this second type of servant is cheating his master in some way or another or stealing from him in order to make the money that he desires.
This passage is a classic example of social criticism. Most servants were treated badly by their masters. The fact that some, or perhaps many, servants deliberately set out to cheat their masters is understandable. They had to look out for themselves because their masters clearly would not.
Iago clearly places himself in the second category of servants. Not only is he a scoundrel or villain, but he has no hesitation to hide the fact. The reader should keep in mind that what Iago is suggesting is essentially an act of treachery. And one should not forget that Dante considered this the greatest sin of all. In The Inferno the sinners of treachery are placed in the ninth and deepest level of hell. Iago’s relationship to Othello is one of master to servant. Nearly everybody during the Middle Ages and most people during the Renaissance considered that relationship to be sacred. Thus, Iago’s bold statement would be shocking to many of the theater-goers in Shakespeare’s day. Yet, at the same time, many of those theater-goers might sympathize with Iago when he utters these memorable lines:
But I will not wear my heart upon my sleeve
The heart metaphor here means to display openly one’s feelings or thoughts. A daw is a scavenger bird, like a crow or raven; and to peck means to chew or tear to pieces. Iago is thus declaring that he will not allow anybody, including his master, to use him up and then spit him out. Iago will not allow himself to be treated badly. And, indeed, many individuals during the Renaissance would also understand Iago’s feelings and sympathize with him. Thus, at the beginning of this play, Shakespeare has already presented a complex villain – one who both shocks the people in the audience and yet gains their sympathy.
Iago then advises Roderigo that the best way to proceed, if he wishes to get Desdemona, is to inform Desdemona’s father. Roderigo wishes, naturally, to stop the wedding between Othello and Desdemona. Or, if a wedding ceremony has already taken place, to have the wedding annulled (or canceled). And, of course, Iago is hoping that Brabanzio, Desdemona’s father, will seek revenge and bring harm to Othello. A daughter was, after all, considered the property of her father at that time in history.
Iago and Roderigo then go out on the street in front of Brabanzio’s house late at night and yell up to him about Desdemona’s elopement. At first
Brabanzio does not believe them. But after he checks his daughter’s room, he comes out of his house with servants to find his daughter and Othello. Iago, the reader should note, leaves the scene (after line 160) before Brabanzio can see him. Iago wishes to ruin Othello, but he wishes to be blameless in case the situation does not turn out the way he hopes. Thus, Roderigo will be left alone to receive any criticism or blame that may come. Iago thus uses Roderigo for his own personal gain.
The language that Iago and Roderigo use to describe Othello in this scene is worthy of note. Iago shouts to Brabanzio that “an old black ram is tupping your white ewe” (88-89). A ram is associated as being a highly lustful animal, and the word tupping means having sexual intercourse. The word white connotes purity and innocence. Desdemona is thus an innocent white lamb being raped by the lascivious black ram. Of course, the prejudice against black men is also clearly expressed in this line as well. Iago also refers to Othello as a “devil” (91) and a “Barbary horse” (113). The word Barbary indicates Arab or foreign origins, but is also related to the word barbaric (savage, primitive, uncivilized). Thus, before Othello even appears on the stage, the audience envisions or imagines a brute, a creature of lust and savagery. And, because of the animal imagery, they may believe that Othello, or any black man, has more in common with animals than he does with white men. Iago’s language thus makes use of and contributes to the popular prejudice of the day regarding blacks and Africans.
Being two-faced means being hypocritical or deceitful. Iago hates Othello, but he shows a face of friendliness and comradeship to his general. In other words, he shows a false face to Othello. The second scene begins on another street in Venice. Iago is telling Othello about how Roderigo has informed Brabanzio about the elopement. Iago complains that Roderigo has acted dishonorably (line 8). Ironically, Iago is actually revealing to the audience that he himself is dishonorable.
Iago’s opening lines are especially full of irony. Iago tells Othello that he would readily kill Roderigo except that such an act goes against his “conscience” (2). Iago claims that even though he killed many enemies during times of war, he cannot kill those who are not his enemies or kill during times of peace. The line is ironically humorous because the audience already knows that Iago appears to have no conscience at all. Even more ironic is Iago’s statement regarding his own nature: “I lack iniquity, sometime, to do me service” (3-4). The word iniquity means evil or wickedness. And, as the audience will soon clearly realize, there are no limits to the wickedness of Iago. What makes the line even more ironic is Iago’s addition of the word service. The word serves as a sign (a semiotic device) to have the audience recall Iago’s previous comments about service and the two kinds of servants. As he stated quite clearly in the first scene, Iago only serves himself.
Shakespeare humorously adds to the irony of the scene when, in response to a question by Othello, Iago responds with emphasis by swearing to Janus (line 33). Janus was a Roman god with two faces. This, Iago swears to the idea of being two-faced. In a way, this is like telling Othello that he cannot be trusted. But, unfortunately, Othello misses this clue and trusts Iago far more than he should.