Iago's Speech

Othello, the Moor of Venice
William Shakespeare

Throughout the play, characters often switch their speaking patterns from iambic pentameter to prose or blank verse. Recalling what I had learned in Mrs. Miles' freshman English class, I was able to determine that this is for one of two reasons: there is a lack of formality or education in the speech or it is a speech of pure passion. Within his plays, Shakespeare uses prose to illustrate the lack of education in the common class characters. However, within the context of Othello, Shakespeare uses prose to show a lack of formality. When Iago breaks his iambic pentameter to speak in prose, it is demonstrating his desire to come across as genuine. This contributes to his sense of being "honest" because many of the other characters perceive his informality as being sincere.

In contrast, Iago uses iambic pentameter in formal situations such as his address recounting the skirmish between Cassio and Montano. This is considered a formal situation because Iago is speaking to a superior in a public arena. Yet, even in his formal speeches, Iago continues to utilize very average, almost daily, word choice. Words and phrases such as "brief," "swift of foot," and "did part them" all can be replaced by more advanced words that would accentuate Iago's intelligence (II.iii.201-224). However, by choosing these words, Iago is able to maintain his common connection with others and his reputation of being honest. Iago, being a fine manipulator of speech, knows that if he was to use higher diction, he would seem arrogant and thus unrelatable to the other characters. He uses his knowledge of speech to control the other characters, and I expect him to use it to ultimately bring the tragic end to this play.