Iago's Motivations in Othello Have you ever met a devil who does evil for his own sake? Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello may seem to have good motives, but I feel like he's using them as excuses. The first thing I did was find out Iago's motivations. Iago is the most controversial character in Othello. He is able to hide his true thoughts and motivations from everyone. Are his motivations just excuses for his actions? Iago claims to have so many motivations that they seem more like excuses. Iago then uses these excuses to justify his actions, which are pure evil. I also think that Iago has motivations and actions that provoke his actions. Does Iago have many different excuses, or does he have just one? This article will prove that Iago has a clear motive and reason for his madness. Iago does not look for a justification that pushes him to act as he does. But Iago has much more to offer. He is not a man who settles for excuses, he has goals with his motivations, which drives him to act the way he does. From the first scene of the play, Iago shows us the strong motivations for his actions. In this first scene, we see that Othello, a general from Venice, has made Cassio his new lieutenant. Iago believes that he truly deserves his promotion because he says "I know my price, I am worth more, not worse in a place." (li12) Iago here does not understand why Othello made such a stupid decision. Iago is a man with a huge ego who knows, sometimes overestimates, his worth. Roderigo, a Venetian gentleman, understands Iago when Iago says that he is "inclined to love the Moor." (li41-42) What Iago really means is "I am to serve my term." use Othello for his personal goals. We must also put ourselves in Iago's shoes. This is a man whose self-esteem and professional career have just been torn apart. Iago acts almost immediately to take revenge on Othello by informing Brabantio, Venetian senator and Desdemona's father, that "an old black ram (Othello) is killing (his) white sheep (Desdemona)." (li97) Iago's next motive becomes clear when he convinces Othello "that he (Cassio) knows his (Othello's) wife too well." (1,iii.4399) Iago's motive here is to break the bond between Othello and Desdemona. At the end of Iago's speech, Iago's main desire is to "practice on his (Othello's) peace and quiet." "(2.ii.332) When Iago says it's here, but yet confused, "(2.ii.332) he clearly admits that he has some sort of plan for what he's doing even though the details are not yet settled. The reason why Iago has not yet revealed his plan is that he does not want to show his face until his plan is carried out. he tries to ascertain Cassio's true love for Desdemona when he says: “That Cassio loves her, I believe it, that she loves him, (Cassio), it is right and it is. great honor." (2.i.308-309) In this speech we can see Iago acting more like a human than a monster. He tries to make himself feel better by convincing himself that his lies are actually true if he were a devil who does evil for his own sake he wouldn't care if his lies were true or not. to Desdemona, he also admits that he loves Desdemona. “I love her” (2.i.313), he admits, “Not by absolute / but driven to diet (his) revenge.” ) This declaration of love for Desdemona has a non-sexual implication: Desdemona is an object that allows Iago to take revenge on Othello. Once again, Iago “suspects the vigorous Moor” (2.i.317) of having had an affair with his wife Emilia. His motive is to seek revenge and revenge on Othello, as he says: ".71)