Iago's isolation from humanity is an ideological and emotional hermitage rather than a physical solitude: he detaches himself from social norms and practices, but continues to weave his diabolical influence as a player in the social scene, creating chaos and tragedy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay His moral isolation is visible at the beginning of the play. Iago rejects Aristotelian virtue and Christian doctrines, adopting instead a utilitarian standard. He says to Roderigo: "Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, / But it seems so for my particular end." » Love and duty, touchstones of morality, are here reduced to simple facades for selfish utilitarian purposes. Perhaps the cause is cynicism – an astute view of human nature that reveals the hypocrisies inherent in these moral doctrines. “Many dutiful and stooping valets…use their time…for nothing but food, and when they are old they are cashiers.” Iago recognizes that love and duty are apparently not sufficient motives to treat a master's disciples more compassionately; individuals cannot turn to morality to find happiness, they must "keep their hearts turned to themselves", safeguard their own well-being, and act on the basis of the principle of utility. If Iago's success lies in his ability to create "the net that will entwine them all", then his moral isolation can be seen as part of that success, for he would be unencumbered by moral scruples or, in the words of Lady Macbeth , “milk” of human kindness”, to realize one’s desires. After urging Cassio to “import [Desdemona’s] help to put [Cassio] in [his] place,” Iago begins a soliloquy with: “And what is it then who says that I play the wicked,/ When this advice is free and honest, I give it,/ Probably on reflection, and indeed in the course/ To win the Moor again? Iago highlights the inadequacies of the moral standards by which he is judged, as he acts according to the moral precept of giving reasonable ("thoughtful"), "free" and "honest" advice while causing undesirable, even immoral, consequences . by deliberately making use of the law of double effect. Cassio's harmless behavior towards Desdemona becomes an insidious suggestion of adultery towards Othello, which ultimately kills Desdemona. By freeing himself from morality, Iago helps Roderigo pursue Desdemona and helps "satisfy" Othello's need to prove Desdemona's infidelity, reducing moral rules to mere frivolity. Iago's moral isolation works in concert with his emotional isolation. He avoids any emotional attachment and even puts aside Emilia, his wife, out of antipathy. “It is in ourselves that we are this or that,” Iago asserts, choosing to be unaffected by emotions and passions and to maintain “corrigible power and authority…in our will.” He torments Othello mercilessly and without compunction, reeling in joy rather than horror when Othello falls into a trance of pain and jealousy. Iago's immediate words are "Work, / My medicine, work!" Thus are the gullible fools caught,” revealing his enthusiasm at the successful outcome of his “monstrous birth” and his clear disregard for compassion or even gratitude toward his trusting and benevolent master. Othello later walks away, saturated with emotion from visceral repetitions ("yet it's a shame, Iago. O Iago, it's a shame, Iago!") to an Iago who remains stoically indifferent. He responds, subtly manipulative: “If you love his iniquity so much,give him the right to offend him,” suggesting that Othello kill Desdemona. Once again, even as the audience watches the great noble Othello descend into equally impressive and profound grief, Iago considers only his plan – his story of revenge and tragedy – and his refusal to submit to the whims of the heart which will ultimately lead him to success. as a villain. Iago must play a role in achieving emotional isolation and maintaining social contact. “For when my outward action shall demonstrate/ The native deed and figure of my heart/ In external compliment, it is not long afterwards/ But I will wear my heart on my sleeve/ So that the birds may peck” - Iago, with his utilitarian perspective and emotional detachment, thus plays the role of his project as needed. He ends his speech with this sentence: “I am not what I am”, consciously recognizing his role as an actor on the social scene. Iago disengages from humanity; he no longer interacts as an individual with his own unique and valid identity, but rather as an actor or experimenter who plays with other characters and directs his own story – his own choice of events and plots . He comforts Desdemona: “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Alas this day! – play the role of the friend concerned; acts like the Elder, “full of love and honesty” and who “sees and knows more, much more, than he reveals” to Othello; and also integrates herself into the male camaraderie in order to intoxicate Cassio. Iago retreats further into isolation by rejecting paradigmatic norms regarding the etiology of intention and action. Throughout the play, readers are left with the impression that Iago's actions are detached from any intention – he seems to act for the sake of action, with only negligible and offhand references to intention. Coleridge attributes the term "motiveless malignancy" to Iago, an idea widely supported in the text. From the beginning, he cites as the reason for Cassio's downfall a careless desire to "inflate my will with double deceits" immediately after a simple "let me see now." Iago here reveals an aesthetic concern rather than a real motive: he seems to consider his actions as a means to an artistic end, completely frivolous and perhaps without commitment. Iago's claims that he hates the Moor all seem parenthetical, and his isolation extends to isolation from the audience, who are left without a satisfactory explanation of his motivations. Iago's initial bitterness against the Moor when Cassio was promoted in his place was not at all lessened after he assumed Cassio's position in act three. Moreover, the motives he gives later, such as "If Cassio stays, he has an everyday beauty in his life that makes me ugly" are so insignificant and incidental that the audience is inevitably disinclined to accept them. The "everyday beauty" that Iago claims to hate is mentioned four acts after the first "to pluck my will", and given a line before another plausible motive, which is preceded by the parenthesis "in addition": "Furthermore, the Moor can unfold me to [Cassio]; I find myself in great danger there. Iago seems to pander to the audience's need to contextualize action in terms of intention, a framework in which action is explained by intention. Iago, however, behaves like a director who explores the “what ifs” – the contingencies of the world, much like Shakespeare himself. He reveals: "There are many events in the womb of time, which will be delivered" and uses the words "beget" and "birth" to describe his actions, as if they were artistic creations. The playwright in him is shown during several asides in which he observes the actions of the other characters in the play as a..