Coleridges View on Iagos Soliloquies Essay - 1965 Words

Coleridges View on Iagos Soliloquies The phrase the motive-hunting of a motiveless malignity occurs in a note that Coleridge wrote concerning the end of Act 1 Scene 3 of Othello in which Iago takes leave of Roderigo saying, Go to, farewell. Put money enough in your purse, and then delivers the soliloquy beginning Thus do I ever make my fool my purse. When evaluating Coleridges view, it is important to put the word motive into context. We use it to mean an emotion, desire, a physiological need - an impulse that acts as an incitement to action. This definition equates motive and impulse; Coleridge, however, thought the two quite different. Here is what he wrote on the subject:-†¦show more content†¦It is engendered! Hell and night Must bring this monstrous birth to the worlds light ===================================================== Shakespeare often uses night to represent disorder and chaos - both Acts I and V of Othello are set at night. Daylight usually brings reason and restoration of order. By using Hell and night as parents of his plan, Iago shows his commitment to evil - his desire to counterbalance the virtue embodied by the worlds light. Further proof that Iagos dedication to committing foul acts is driven by no other reason but the baseness of the acts themselves occurs in his soliloquy at the end of Act II where he speaks of the divinity of hell by which he is governed. Thus it could be said that Iago is a character whose sole impulse is to commit evil deeds - evil is his object and his motives are mere excuses or trite justifications. Such a character was typical of Elizabethan tragedies - at the time sins were personified in plays and villains were just thoroughly bad; they loved evil for its own sake. Writers portrayed these characters simply because they served as a catalyst for drama or acted as a convenient plot device. In this respect, Iago needs no motives for his actions - he is, as Coleridge asserted, a motiveless malignity. This view could be supported by the fact that Shakespeare used a Spanish name forShow MoreRelatedThere Are Many Critical Interpretations of Iago’s Character. Was He a ‘Skillful Villain’? or Perhaps He Was a ‘Mysterious Creature of Unlimited Cynicism’? or Was He Simply a ‘Wronged Man’? More Sinned Against Than Sinning?2606 Words   |  11 PagesThere are many critical in terpretations of Iago’s character. Was he a ‘skillful villain’? Or perhaps he was a ‘mysterious creature of unlimited cynicism’? Or was he simply a ‘wronged man’? More sinned against than sinning? What is your view of this complex character and how would a contemporary Shakespearean audience have responded to him? In Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, the reader is introduced to the character Iago. There are many different interpretations of his character, was he a ‘skillful villain’Read MoreEssay on Honest Iago2147 Words   |  9 PagesIago The poet Coleridge appropriately described the character of Iago as being one of motiveless malignity. Throughout the play Iago’s motives are secondary to, and seem only to serve as justification for, his actions. Iago is driven by his nature of character. To discuss Coleridge’s assessment we must look at Iago’s character—from Iago’s point of view and that of the other characters—his motives, methods, and pawns. Through some carefully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate