Iago's Suspicions

Iago's suspicion is merely the product of his motive-hunting. As Iago says, he "hate[s] the Moor,/And it is thought abroad that 'twixt [his] sheets/ Has done [his] office," Iago tries to link his hatred toward Othello to his suspicions of an affair between Othello and his wife (Shakespeare 1.3.429-431). Using the word "and" instead of conjunctions such as "because" to link the two supposedly cause-and-effect statements, Iago shows that even he is not sure whether his suspicions cause his hatred, or his hatred causes his suspicions (1.3.430).

In fact, Iago's hatred causes his suspicions because Iago desperately looks for justifications for his malice. As Iago says, he "know[s] not if [Emilia's affair] be true," but he "will do as if for surety" because Iago's fiery malice is so enormous that a frail rumor would suffice to serve as a justification (1.3.432-433). Iago, by forcefully bending suspicions into truth, shows his desperate motive-hunting for his motiveless malignity. Therefore, Iago is innately malignant without motives and he subconsciously struggles to find motivations for his malignity. Iago's actions are entirely "the motive-hunting of motiveless malignity."

Many instances in the play suggest that Iago's actions are wholly caused by his natural malice rather than his frail motives. From the beginning, Desdemona has not done any injustices to Iago. However, Iago still desires to obliterate her by pouring "pestilence into [Othello's] ear that she repeals him for her body's lust" (2.3.376-377). Iago's goal in defaming Desdemona is to "undo her credit with the Moor," which shows that Iago's malignity is completely motiveless because Desdemona's downfall will not do Iago any good (2.3.380). The only beneficiary of Desdemona's downfall is the malicious and motiveless devil in Iago's soul (2.3.378).

When Iago convinces Roderigo to kill Cassio, the primary reason Iago gives in his soliloquy for killing Cassio is that Cassio "hath a daily beauty in his life that makes [Iago] ugly" (5.1.20-21). Iago's feeble reason for killing Cassio shows that Iago's malignity is truly motiveless. Iago is desperately hunting for motives for his motiveless malignity that anything could be twisted by Iago to be his justifications.

Furthermore, by continuing his speech with "the Moor/May unfold me to" Cassio, Iago shows that concerning for his own safety is less important than satisfying his motiveless malignity (5.1.21-22). Serving one's own self is the chief motive of most human beings. By placing his concern for his own self as secondary to a malicious justification, Iago shows that his malignity is totally motiveless. The purpose of all his actions is to find justifications for his motiveless malignity. Iago is a devil who lives for his motiveless malignity.

"Othello" Shakespeare, William Folger Shakespeare Library.