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What more do we learn about the nature of Iago in Act II of Othello?

One thing we learn about Iago in the second act is that he treats his wife Emilia poorly and appears to be a misogynist. He announces to everyone that Emilia talks too much and then makes generalizations about women:


… you are pictures out of doors,
Bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens,
Saints in your injuries, devils being offended,
Players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds.



Iago says all this in a joking manner, and Cassio excuses him because he is a soldier: “You may relish him more in the soldier than in the scholar.”


Iago’s plot to frame Cassio and Desdemona also becomes clearer. When Iago watches Cassio and Desdemona speak to one another, he says to himself, “with as little a web as this will I ensnare as great a fly as Cassio.” Iago quickly manages to convince Roderigo of this affair, degrading both Cassio and Desdemona in his explanation. Then Iago ruins Cassio’s reputation by getting him drunk and telling Roderigo to provoke him. Cassio, who is susceptible to alcohol, becomes belligerent and fights with Roderigo and a fellow officer. As a result, Othello strips him of his rank.


In a soliloquy, Iago reveals more about his motives and plot. He suspects Othello and possibly even Cassio of sleeping with Emilia. Iago is jealous by nature, and he plans to provoke Othello into a jealous rage. His disdain for Roderigo also becomes apparent, as does his acknowledgement that he has been lying about Othello’s and Desdemona’s characters: he knows they are loyal to one another.


Still, Iago schemes to use Othello and Desdemona's love against them. He tells Cassio to appeal to Desdemona in order to get back into Othello’s good graces. Meanwhile, he suggests to Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are sleeping together. Iago describes his plan when he says, “So will I turn her virtue into pitch, / And out of her own goodness make the net / That shall enmesh them all.” Act II demonstrates much about Iago’s character, plot, and motivations.

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