The article under consideration is called Humiliation of Iago (Othello) and is written by Zender. The article is dedicated to discussing the veritable motives of Iago who wants to separate the beloved. The author provides different hypotheses concerning the real reasons for his hatred and cruelty and attempt to find the answers within the play interaction, including slightest details. The value of the work consists in its unconventional approach to the play analysis.
The main purpose of the article is to discover the reasons of Iago’s reluctance to accept his true nature and live in a real world instead of advancing his enigma and mystery throughout the play. In order to identify the actual reasons for Iago’s hatred to Desdemona and Othello, the author makes use of his own approach in analyzing the play through the prism of motives, plots, themes, and character nuances to.
The researcher also resorts to discourse analysis to understand how the plot is interconnected with Iago’s behavior and attitude to other characters of the play.
In the first paragraph, Zender investigates Iago’s attitude to women, particular his limited treatment of those. In particular, the article makes reference to Shakespeare’s other plays to explain Iago’s immaturity in expressing his affection for Desdemona and Emilia. In particular, the author emphasizes that Iago’s immaturity is revealed through lack of verbal fluency.
Hence, by comparing Othello with such plays as As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, or Twelfth Night, Zender intends to prove that the male protagonists’ intentions are also disclosed through the maturation of his affection through expression of inability to speak.
As a result of play analysis, the author concludes that it is the power of language that is vital in rendering the transition from romantic themes to tragic events. The role of language, thus, is narrowed to its ability to distinguish various social statuses and, therefore, the play highlights the existing inequality between social groups.
Another role of the language lies in revealing Iago’s inability to reconcile meaning and words. According to the author, the language gap serves as an excuse for Iago to behave naturally because he repudiates the existing reality and desire to be understood.
In the next paragraph, the author’s deliberations on the limits and nature of language leads him to the idea that Iago’s deconstructionism and anger are driven by the evil, which he considers to be an alternative form of love expression. In the article, Zender provides a comparison’s of Iago’s expression of affection and Othello’s one to notice that their languages are completely different. As a result, the article reveals that an immature language triggers Iago’s anger and inadequacy toward other heroes of the play.
In the final part of the article, Zender reflects on Iago’s willing to act rather than to speak. In particular, the article explains why Iago is reluctant to use natural language instead preferring silence to it. According to author, silence is the only means for Iago to equal with Othello and Desdemona who are able to express their affection through language. Therefore, murder is the only method to survive in the world that Iago creates for himself.
In conclusion, all three parts of the article under consideration provide explanations for true motives of Iago’s behavior. In particular, the author manages to consistently present the reasons for his inability to use “natural” language. It should be stressed that the article is of great value for further research of Shakespeare’s play because it has successfully managed to reveal other dimensions of character analysis through the specifics of language and verbal means of love expression.