While every Shakespeare play claims to be the one with Shakespeare's greatest villain, scholars contend that the choice is between Iago of Othello and Lady Macbeth of Macbeth. While neither can difinitively claim the prestigious title, both are clever, manipulative, greedy villains who will do anything to further their ends and destroy their story’s protagonist. Iago’s idea of revenge is destroying Othello and causing him the very grief which Iago himself feels. Lady Macbeth’s power hungry scheme to make herself queen ends up killing everyone she loves, especially herself. Both characters fill the archetype of the Shakespearean villain, characters with enormous capabilities to do heinous crimes, know not only for their evil natures but also
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Lady Macbeth’s name has not had the same treatment because, as deceptive and evil as she was, she was not sneaky. This is where their differences lie. Because of the witches’ prophecy and Macbeth’s own ambition, Lady Macbeth did not have to be subtle in her convincing, she could be as open and impassioned as she wished, using her command of language to weave such heart-wrenching, and manipulative phrases such as “ To beguile the time, /Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, /Your hand, your tongue; look like th' innocent flower, /But be the serpent under't.” Iago, hiding under the guise of “honest Iago,” has to be secretive in his manipulation, hinting at his meaning as opposed to declaring and lying as oppose to convincing. A sorcerer of words and master of double meanings, Iago is the very definition of deceptive. While both are wordsmiths and deceptive to further their own ends, Lady Macbeth is allowed to be open while Iago is not afforded that …show more content…
Lady Macbeth’s is stated outright, that she is doing it to gain power for herself and her husband, so she must convince her husband to be a man and kill the king. Iago’s motivation is twofold, go get revenge on Othello for not making him his lieutenant and for the rumors that his wife Emilia had slept with Othello. However, there is more to it than that. Perhaps Iago felt slighted by the fact that Othello was an outsider and a Moor, but still more important than him, or even just the fact that Othello was a Moor. Iago could have been a truly hateful, racist character. Maybe Iago simply liked it and was a psychopath, intent on destroying others. While there is evidence in the text to support all of these conclusions, not one is stated definitively by Iago, making his underlying motivations a mystery. Again, Lady Macbeth is open while Iago cannot be, but this time in their motivations and
Lady Macbeth’s name has not had the same treatment because, as deceptive and evil as she was, she was not sneaky. This is where their differences lie. Because of the witches’ prophecy and Macbeth’s own ambition, Lady Macbeth did not have to be subtle in her convincing, she could be as open and impassioned as she wished, using her command of language to weave such heart-wrenching, and manipulative phrases such as “ To beguile the time, /Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, /Your hand, your tongue; look like th' innocent flower, /But be the serpent under't.” Iago, hiding under the guise of “honest Iago,” has to be secretive in his manipulation, hinting at his meaning as opposed to declaring and lying as oppose to convincing. A sorcerer of words and master of double meanings, Iago is the very definition of deceptive. While both are wordsmiths and deceptive to further their own ends, Lady Macbeth is allowed to be open while Iago is not afforded that …show more content…
Lady Macbeth’s is stated outright, that she is doing it to gain power for herself and her husband, so she must convince her husband to be a man and kill the king. Iago’s motivation is twofold, go get revenge on Othello for not making him his lieutenant and for the rumors that his wife Emilia had slept with Othello. However, there is more to it than that. Perhaps Iago felt slighted by the fact that Othello was an outsider and a Moor, but still more important than him, or even just the fact that Othello was a Moor. Iago could have been a truly hateful, racist character. Maybe Iago simply liked it and was a psychopath, intent on destroying others. While there is evidence in the text to support all of these conclusions, not one is stated definitively by Iago, making his underlying motivations a mystery. Again, Lady Macbeth is open while Iago cannot be, but this time in their motivations and