"IAGO" THE KINGOF DARKNESS

Evil has been embodied nowhere in such intensity as Iago has. Among the famous villain of fiction ,Iago leads :the others merely follow. “eclipse is first, and the rest nowhere’’ .Even Milton’s satan at times sheds tears such as angels weep:Lachimo,Richard 111 and Edmund all are mere children before Iago.The secret of Iago’s villainy is that to others he does not appear to be a villain at all. Just as perfect art conceals itself. People call him ‘ honest Iago”.He shows an eager desire to help others. He is everybody’s friend, guide and philosopher. Othello ,Cassio, Roderigo and even Desdemona ask for the advise of Iago when in trouble. Emilia alone seems to have suspicion about the nature of her husband.But even Emilia never plumbed the depth of his villainy.How does Iago manage to be a wretched sepulcher ? First of all , he was prodigiousPiowers of dissimulation and self control.Superficially , he has a good nature. His powers of self control are combined with high intellectual powers. All this intellect and self control are used to advance the ambitions of an egotism which has no parallel.Iago lives only for himself. He scoffs at all ideas of morality, honour and softer emotions. He has no sympathy ,no social feeling.He is a cynic par excellence considering himself the general enemy of the world. His only ambition in life seems to have been to spread unhappiness and ruin all round.There are two broad interpretations of Iago’s character .One view considers that Iago’s villainy was fully motivated, while the other view believes in the “Motiveless malignity” of Iago.Shakespeare was the creator of the gretest Heroes and the greatest villains and Iago was the finest among them.