Iago is without doubt the best villain there is. He's role in Othello makes the play more emotionally draining then any other play Shakespeare ever wrote.
I was telling a classmate in my English Lit class, while discussing Othello, about how Kenneth Branagh is like the Where's Waldo of Shakespeare. Then my professor puts on this movie and I start busting up laughing, considering what I had just been saying... no one but the professor thought it was funny. Such a shame.
Genius 'schemer' Shakespeare showed us that '(free) willing' is complicated. He scanned man with poetic intuitions. Jago advocates for reason and control, but when Roderigo is away, Jago's (free?) will is out of control for hate of Othello. Did Shakespeare know how neurons in the brain functioned? Of course not. He had a fine 'nose' for human motives. Reading old latin literature, history of royal man and living his (unsafe) life made him word smart: HIs free will embedded commands in personae..
Such a fantastic portrayal - he is done exactly as Iago should be. As soon as Roderigo is gone at 3:28, his act is gone. A clever villain. A motiveless and malignant villain. Indeed, he is the highest caliber of evil-doer.
The 1990 version of this scene is soo funny. roderigo freaks out and pounds his hands and feet on the ground. it was so funny watching it at school:PPP
I love to indulge Shakespearean double exposures. Iago with his animals, in another life a zoologist or zookeeper or wildlife biologist, Macbeth in another place and time a phlebotomist or surgeon, covered in blood as he hacks away with bone saws.
But yeah, I always wondered how to play that scene. The whole 'put money in thy purse' is slightly confusing. I suppose it's humanity's first go at subliminal messaging :P
Hey @rundotop If you make a "fan club" for him you might as well include Jeffrey Dahmer and Scott Peterson. Iago is seriously, pathologically demented and evil - a complete narcissist. You seriously misunderstand his character - he is Shakespeare's study in pure evil - it all it's machinations and forms.
Iago is meant to be mesmeric and inducing. It's his persuasiveness and likability that allows him to get away with what he does. Plus, he embodies all of the Machiavellian characteristics: cunning, conniving, cruel, capricious, duplicitous and ruthless. It's hard not to like him.
funny, i can't seem to dislike Iago either. He really makes the play, i find Othello to be more dark.
I always thought he was too gullible, Iago brought the bad side out of him so easily too. What difference would it make if all the events with cassio and desdemona actually did occur without him scheming, and if he was actually an honest man? Othello's reaction would be no different.
also on top of that when Othello stabs him after Iago is found out, he tells him "I would look at your feet, but thats a fable" saying that devils have goat feet. Then Iago responds after he is stabbed by saying, "I bleed sir, but not killed" showing once again, you can't kill a devil
actually Iago is supposed to be a symbol for the devil. I just finished reading Othello in my class, and Iago didn't want to kill Othello because he slept with his wife. He had no reason, hence he is the devil. Evidence of this is his final line when Othello asks him why he "ensnared his body and soul" he answered "Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I will never speak another word."
Alright... i'm sorry but your logic is beyond my understanding. He had no reason therefore he is the devil? I might as well say 'It is cold, therefore it must be water'. Shakespeare uses a lot of demonic imagery, but Iago is better described perhaps as a psychopath or a schizophrenic= not the devil
I love this scene, I wish I could read it in class but our English 5 teacher decided that since Iago is his favorite character only he can read the part.
yeah, most of his monologues are, as you'd expect from a film :\
its still a shame though, because I'd love to see how Kenneth does the rest of it because I went to a recent production and the actor who played Iago had a weak showing, especially with this monologue
If this play was written today, it could even be implied that Iago, lusted the moor himself. There are definitely homo-erotic undertones to this play!!
Actually, this is never fully confirmed in the play, only speculated. Iago himself says that he would never make his true feelings known, and since he often breaks the fourth wall the chances are that he hides it from the audience as well.
Since he himself declares his word untrustworthy, and there are different reasons he states for hating Othello (e.g. possible sex with his wife, skirting over his appointment as a lieutenant), we cannot be sure what his true motives are.
Oh aye, Iago is VERY difficult to interpret. It's what makes him such a menacing villain; you can never truly tell what his motivations are. As for being motivated by evil, I can't say I fully agree with that. While we can't conclusively analyze his motivations, there is evidence of motivation there. It seems more likely that ALL of the mentioned motivations act as fuel, rather than his being motivated by evil. Logically speaking, evil is just negative intentions or consequences, not motivation.
also many play with him being in love with othello, and using displacement with his feelings for him toward desdemona. He really is rather paranoid as well with the whole Othello sleeping with his wife (and Cassio as well!), this too I think is a displacement of emotion. He is angry he is not selected to be promoted, but he cannot be as justifiably angry at the two men which prevented this as he could be if they had had sex with his wife.
I drew this two alot after watching this scene...and I still do! I'm working on a comic based on Iago's side of the story, although I don't have a scanner so I can't put it up on the internet...
I love when Rodrigo after being put under Iago's spell just says "money in thy purse" in such a way that he is hypnotized or poisoned physically. As if Iago's words were an elixir that totally put Rodrigo under control and throughout the play Iago continues to pour this elixir at anytime when it seems to wear off (when Iago catches his wits about him). I love it.
I've seen some performances of Othello where Roderigo is actually a latent homosexual and Iago cynically manipulates him. Roderigo's desperation for Desdemona is actually his desperation to hide his own suppressed sexuality and he actually has feelings for Iago.
Iago meanwhile is "a motiveless malignity."
Some performances of Othello posit Iago as a figment of the all the characters' collective imaginations who are all experiencing hysteria and psychosis.
Well it is believed Iago is annoyed because Othello promoted Cassio instead of him, there are also many theories about why he hates Othello, some suggest that he is in love with Othello. Once he manages to get the promotion, he still continues to be evil, its a great mystery indeed.
Iago is a sexual sadist. He enjoys torturing other people psychologically by projecting his own torturous paranoia onto them. He is emotionally inhibited and filled with inner loathing as a consequence. He cannot abide their daily beauty that makes him ugly.
KB is brilliant. Definitely one of my favorite Shakespeare actors. He makes the characters come alive. Definitely helps me understand all the Shakespearian language.
It still cracks me up to watch "The Road to El Dorado" because it stars such a brilliant Shakespearian actor. Great performance there as well.
Jackson is brilliant at playing a man with a raging temper and eaten up by jealousy. You should see his performance in Lakeview Terrace.
If they made a version of Othello in a modern setting - U.S. General Othello - which could be commentry on US power, paranoia and a criticism of Colin Powell or the danger of betrayl that Obama faces.
I think KB's way to performe Shakespeare is very useful for students: the characters become alive going out of the lines and getting into the real life. Unfortunately for Italian students, nobody secceeded in doing the same thing for Dante Alighieri...
Iago is without doubt the best villain there is. He's role in Othello makes the play more emotionally draining then any other play Shakespeare ever wrote.
BoneSeaker 2 weeks ago
"put money in thy purse" is all of my friends and mine's new line
Jackofhearts214 2 months ago
I was telling a classmate in my English Lit class, while discussing Othello, about how Kenneth Branagh is like the Where's Waldo of Shakespeare. Then my professor puts on this movie and I start busting up laughing, considering what I had just been saying... no one but the professor thought it was funny. Such a shame.
hobbitandwife 3 months ago
This was absolutely BRILLIANT up until the lightning strike at the end.
saurondude9 3 months ago
This is THE scene that made me a fan of Branagh back in world lit.
smellincoffee 5 months ago
First time I had watched this scene, I started wondering where my money was and how I could get it to Iago.
jake5 9 months ago 4
I'll sell all my land...xD
elppa284 10 months ago
@CroatianMongoose69 You're absolute right... those cutting rascals!!
Contextcatcher 10 months ago
Genius 'schemer' Shakespeare showed us that '(free) willing' is complicated. He scanned man with poetic intuitions. Jago advocates for reason and control, but when Roderigo is away, Jago's (free?) will is out of control for hate of Othello. Did Shakespeare know how neurons in the brain functioned? Of course not. He had a fine 'nose' for human motives. Reading old latin literature, history of royal man and living his (unsafe) life made him word smart: HIs free will embedded commands in personae..
Contextcatcher 11 months ago
Love the imagery with the chessmen, very powerful.
megadork456 1 year ago 2
Branagh is the best Iago I've seen (shame about everyone else in the film, though, apart from Emilia).
2muski 1 year ago
@2muski What about Fishburne as Othello? He was too young, but still a good performance.
ShadowSonic2 1 year ago
@ShadowSonic2
Fishburne seems too lanky and wiry, not
2muski 1 year ago
@2muski Hey, at least they finally got around to casting an actual Black man as the Moor. All it took was 400 years or so...
ShadowSonic2 1 year ago
@ShadowSonic2
Oops, I meant to cancel that, not post it. I got halfway through the sentence and forgot what I was going to write.
2muski 1 year ago
Such a fantastic portrayal - he is done exactly as Iago should be. As soon as Roderigo is gone at 3:28, his act is gone. A clever villain. A motiveless and malignant villain. Indeed, he is the highest caliber of evil-doer.
VBZBII 1 year ago
Come, be a man. Drown thyself? Drown cats and blind puppies.
oneofakind93 1 year ago 4
Guys, the point is...
Put some money in your purse. Okay? Okay.
WheatToasties 1 year ago
The 1990 version of this scene is soo funny. roderigo freaks out and pounds his hands and feet on the ground. it was so funny watching it at school:PPP
neonyellowninja 1 year ago
I love to indulge Shakespearean double exposures. Iago with his animals, in another life a zoologist or zookeeper or wildlife biologist, Macbeth in another place and time a phlebotomist or surgeon, covered in blood as he hacks away with bone saws.
handsomechuck1 1 year ago
After I watched this, I realized that basically every film that I've ever watched is an Othello rip off.
dopejoel 1 year ago
Racist much? o.O
But yeah, I always wondered how to play that scene. The whole 'put money in thy purse' is slightly confusing. I suppose it's humanity's first go at subliminal messaging :P
Shakespeare FTW! :D
LostSubsForever 1 year ago
<3
So. Wonderful.
hamlet223 1 year ago
3.23
bemyescape84 1 year ago
Which adaptation is this?
Templemister 1 year ago
@Templemister Oliver Parker directed it x
pineapplegirl01 1 year ago
Hey @rundotop If you make a "fan club" for him you might as well include Jeffrey Dahmer and Scott Peterson. Iago is seriously, pathologically demented and evil - a complete narcissist. You seriously misunderstand his character - he is Shakespeare's study in pure evil - it all it's machinations and forms.
humanbeing524 1 year ago
I love watching Branagh do Shakespeare...pure genius!
senosab 1 year ago 6
Kenneth Branagh is badass
AHafan1 1 year ago 7
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Kenneth Branagh's voice is terrible, he sounds weak. Iago should sound more like Gordon Brown....terrible
peterzhang1989 1 year ago
I crack up every time Iago says "Put money in thy purse..." - no clue WHY, it's just funny! Kenneth Branagh is freaking awesome.
crowTserling 1 year ago
You should've heard when Christopher Walken delivered that line as Iago in 1991. I'll never hear that line the same way again lol.
Persadish 1 year ago
i love how he controls Roderigo!
CombustionMan1 1 year ago
"We have reason" Hail, Iago!
jerarc 2 years ago 2
Aaaah I love the way this actor plays Iago. Not just in this scene, but in the entire movie. So believable.
angelkat3050 2 years ago 28
@angelkat3050
Well that's the legendary Kenneth Branagh, after all.
Pseudologic 2 years ago
@Pseudologic
and he's also gileroy lockhart in HP 2, i didn't believe it at first.
CombustionMan1 1 year ago
It's funny but I completely didn't recognize him in Harry Potter or Wild Wild West.
Pseudologic 1 year ago
Classic!
mattiehendrix 2 years ago 5
when iago said baboon he sounded like rimmer :L
stikhead17 2 years ago
I like this play ^^
poempoorlywritten3 2 years ago 2
Iago is meant to be mesmeric and inducing. It's his persuasiveness and likability that allows him to get away with what he does. Plus, he embodies all of the Machiavellian characteristics: cunning, conniving, cruel, capricious, duplicitous and ruthless. It's hard not to like him.
LlortnA 2 years ago 10
funny, i can't seem to dislike Iago either. He really makes the play, i find Othello to be more dark.
I always thought he was too gullible, Iago brought the bad side out of him so easily too. What difference would it make if all the events with cassio and desdemona actually did occur without him scheming, and if he was actually an honest man? Othello's reaction would be no different.
rrrrrrrroti 2 years ago
I totally had full marks in my English Play of Othello for playing Iago cause I had to act him out in every Act and Scene, It was Cool.
Totally love playing Iago....
5harman 2 years ago 3
Am I a horrible person to be rooting for Iago?
DrinkWater22 2 years ago 10
haha no i love iago too
Darknsecret 2 years ago 4
lets make an iago fan club. he is pure genius, not evil.
rundotop 2 years ago 37
@rundotop
he's both haha
RandomGanker 1 year ago
@rundotop
He's an evil genius. How can you say he's not evil?
2muski 1 year ago
Naaaah. Iago is a pure evil genius. I'm rooting for him ^_^
Lool
Zaphoid13 2 years ago 6
Depends on how much money you put in thy purse, but, yes.
CommanderLightning 2 years ago 5
alot of lines are missing from this version of the solioquy
champ1992 2 years ago
he seems to be amoral if anything
kyu5533 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Branagh's Iago in general I thought was too weak, however the soliloquoy here was fine!
Jacobus180670 2 years ago
also on top of that when Othello stabs him after Iago is found out, he tells him "I would look at your feet, but thats a fable" saying that devils have goat feet. Then Iago responds after he is stabbed by saying, "I bleed sir, but not killed" showing once again, you can't kill a devil
kyu5533 2 years ago
actually Iago is supposed to be a symbol for the devil. I just finished reading Othello in my class, and Iago didn't want to kill Othello because he slept with his wife. He had no reason, hence he is the devil. Evidence of this is his final line when Othello asks him why he "ensnared his body and soul" he answered "Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I will never speak another word."
kyu5533 2 years ago
Alright... i'm sorry but your logic is beyond my understanding. He had no reason therefore he is the devil? I might as well say 'It is cold, therefore it must be water'. Shakespeare uses a lot of demonic imagery, but Iago is better described perhaps as a psychopath or a schizophrenic= not the devil
Hanuel123 2 years ago
He also is accusing Othello of sleeping with his wife, although he cannot prove it. He says suspicion is enough.
courtwalk 2 years ago
what act is this?
PreciousGospelWriter 2 years ago
It's Act 1 Scene 3
tediousoldfools 2 years ago
what is roderigo complaining about in the opening scene?
anime4456 2 years ago
I love this scene, I wish I could read it in class but our English 5 teacher decided that since Iago is his favorite character only he can read the part.
captjack569 2 years ago
I never pictured Iago like this.,..
amyrollin 2 years ago
Iago = best villian ever :D
Kenneth Branagh is brilliant in this role
I'm doing this monologue for my drama exam:D
DriverShaft 3 years ago 4
same.but this version is adapted, as i'm sure you'd know. ... And will as tenderly be led by the nose..
willausten 2 years ago
...as asses are.
yeah, most of his monologues are, as you'd expect from a film :\
its still a shame though, because I'd love to see how Kenneth does the rest of it because I went to a recent production and the actor who played Iago had a weak showing, especially with this monologue
DriverShaft 2 years ago
If this play was written today, it could even be implied that Iago, lusted the moor himself. There are definitely homo-erotic undertones to this play!!
plutogirllovekj 3 years ago
Poor Iago! He thinks the moor 'twixt his sheets did his office!!!! Ha Ha Ha!! Speak plainly you villain you think the man screwed your wife!!
plutogirllovekj 3 years ago
Kenneth Branagh was brilliant in this film!
bgammill 3 years ago 8
he hates othello because othello didn't appoint him as lieutenant but instead Cassio, so it all leads to jealousy.
hahaimhenry 3 years ago
Actually, this is never fully confirmed in the play, only speculated. Iago himself says that he would never make his true feelings known, and since he often breaks the fourth wall the chances are that he hides it from the audience as well.
Since he himself declares his word untrustworthy, and there are different reasons he states for hating Othello (e.g. possible sex with his wife, skirting over his appointment as a lieutenant), we cannot be sure what his true motives are.
HeraLedro 3 years ago 4
I believe that most critics have a very hard time interpreting Iago's motivation for trying to destroy Othello.
Most have concluded that Iago, despite all those reasons he presents to the audience in soliloquy, is simply motivated by evil.
Lizzie2night 2 years ago
Oh aye, Iago is VERY difficult to interpret. It's what makes him such a menacing villain; you can never truly tell what his motivations are. As for being motivated by evil, I can't say I fully agree with that. While we can't conclusively analyze his motivations, there is evidence of motivation there. It seems more likely that ALL of the mentioned motivations act as fuel, rather than his being motivated by evil. Logically speaking, evil is just negative intentions or consequences, not motivation.
HeraLedro 2 years ago
Which is why Iago is such a difficult character to interpret, and why he's such a memorable villain.
There, finished xD
HeraLedro 3 years ago 3
also many play with him being in love with othello, and using displacement with his feelings for him toward desdemona. He really is rather paranoid as well with the whole Othello sleeping with his wife (and Cassio as well!), this too I think is a displacement of emotion. He is angry he is not selected to be promoted, but he cannot be as justifiably angry at the two men which prevented this as he could be if they had had sex with his wife.
Slight22 3 years ago
I drew this two alot after watching this scene...and I still do! I'm working on a comic based on Iago's side of the story, although I don't have a scanner so I can't put it up on the internet...
Hikasu3445 3 years ago
I love when Rodrigo after being put under Iago's spell just says "money in thy purse" in such a way that he is hypnotized or poisoned physically. As if Iago's words were an elixir that totally put Rodrigo under control and throughout the play Iago continues to pour this elixir at anytime when it seems to wear off (when Iago catches his wits about him). I love it.
rwc82 3 years ago
I've seen some performances of Othello where Roderigo is actually a latent homosexual and Iago cynically manipulates him. Roderigo's desperation for Desdemona is actually his desperation to hide his own suppressed sexuality and he actually has feelings for Iago.
Iago meanwhile is "a motiveless malignity."
Some performances of Othello posit Iago as a figment of the all the characters' collective imaginations who are all experiencing hysteria and psychosis.
An astonishingly modern play.
swansandtyphus 3 years ago
5/5 for the soliloquy ending :)
zjr4 3 years ago
why does Iago have to hate the Moor? He is in love of Desdemona too?
yanzhit 3 years ago
Well it is believed Iago is annoyed because Othello promoted Cassio instead of him, there are also many theories about why he hates Othello, some suggest that he is in love with Othello. Once he manages to get the promotion, he still continues to be evil, its a great mystery indeed.
zjr4 3 years ago
Iago is a sexual sadist. He enjoys torturing other people psychologically by projecting his own torturous paranoia onto them. He is emotionally inhibited and filled with inner loathing as a consequence. He cannot abide their daily beauty that makes him ugly.
swansandtyphus 3 years ago
no. he hates the moor because he promoted cassio to lieutenant over iago who felt he deserved it ALOT more.
mistersjmcg 2 years ago
KB is brilliant. Definitely one of my favorite Shakespeare actors. He makes the characters come alive. Definitely helps me understand all the Shakespearian language.
It still cracks me up to watch "The Road to El Dorado" because it stars such a brilliant Shakespearian actor. Great performance there as well.
Grinlord 3 years ago 7
I think Samuel L. Jackson was born to play Othello.
swansandtyphus 3 years ago
What?! No! Jackson hardly possesses the seriousness as an actor to play this roll. I don't think he does. I can't take him seriously anymore.
rwc82 3 years ago
Jackson is brilliant at playing a man with a raging temper and eaten up by jealousy. You should see his performance in Lakeview Terrace.
If they made a version of Othello in a modern setting - U.S. General Othello - which could be commentry on US power, paranoia and a criticism of Colin Powell or the danger of betrayl that Obama faces.
swansandtyphus 3 years ago
That shift from joy to the hate of the moor is just perfect
avsfanbuck69 3 years ago 5
Iago wants Othello :P
Can someone put up whole film? Need it for A-Level
missbabyice 3 years ago
"hell and night
must bring this monsterous birth
to the world's light"
an incredible line!
AHafan1 3 years ago 4
OMG!! Hamlet and Laertes are Iago and Roderigo!! NICE!! Thanks for the upload! I'm studying Othello in University, and I love Branagh's acting!
Tangerine08 3 years ago 3
I think KB's way to performe Shakespeare is very useful for students: the characters become alive going out of the lines and getting into the real life. Unfortunately for Italian students, nobody secceeded in doing the same thing for Dante Alighieri...
mom63423 3 years ago 2
Kenneth Branagh is amazingly gorgeous
eipirani 3 years ago 5
Omg, I love Iago's lines. xD
zangetsu04 3 years ago 3
I think they should do a version of Othello set in modern day Washington D.C. Othello could be played by Samuel L. Jackson.
swansandtyphus 3 years ago
the one how plays as Iago was starring in harry potter too, right?
KAROTASTAAUTIA 3 years ago 5
Yes, you're right. He is Gilderoy Lockhart in Chamber of Secrets.
tediousoldfools 3 years ago 2
@tediousoldfools He also played Hamlet. In Hamlet :D
letthemxeatcake 1 year ago
@KAROTASTAAUTIA its Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars.
VoldieDude 1 year ago
@VoldieDude
I"m sorry, what is your answer for?
KAROTASTAAUTIA 1 year ago
@KAROTASTAAUTIA
He's also Henry V, Benedick, and Hamlet.
Lamporre 1 year ago
iago is such a legend hes so convincing favourite villain of all time !
TonyC1906 3 years ago 4
high five to Iago
iserbeller 3 years ago 2
i shall never love thee after ,thou silly gentleman........
what a line
PhiltheBard 3 years ago 4
Kenneth Branagh is my hero
johnmilutin 3 years ago 8
Watching it in class.....
Mean dude ....
tetekeke 3 years ago 4
What can I say? I'm honoured this movie was entirely shooted in Italy.
mom63423 3 years ago 4