Samuel Taylor Coleridge believes the character of Iago reveals 'the motive hunting of motiveless malignancy.' What motivates the character of Iago?

Have a little read: ... Samuel Taylor Coleridge believes the character of Iago reveals 'the motive hunting of motiveless malignancy.' What motivates the character of Iago? In this essay I will be looking at what motivates Iago's character from different approaches from sociological perspectives such as the Marxist perspective, the feminist perspective and structuralism, and from a historical or generic standpoint. I will also be looking at the text, including schools of critical theory. Iago is in almost every respect the very direct opposite of Othello. Where Othello is open and straightforward, Iago is not only crooked in all his dealings but also actually reveals in his crookedness. Where Othello judge's men by his own high motives and standards, to Iago men are no more than animals upright. Above all, while love is the soul and centre of Othello's world, without which 'chaos is come again' (3.3.92), Iago lives, moves and has his being in a world of pure hatred. Iago, unlike Othello, is seen as the villain, he is a master manipulator of people and gets the other characters in the play to do just what he wants. He has no typical motive for what he does, such as revenge, as he doesn't really care about the outside world and its revolutions he only cares about the power he uses or can use. Iago is the most notorious character in Othello as he is able to keep his true thoughts and motives from everyone. Samuel Taylor Coleridge has described Iago's attitude to life as 'the motive hunting of motiveless malignancy'. The last two words are often quoted by themselves as if they gave an sufficient account of Iago's character, but we should note that Iago, far from not having any motives for what he does, has too many. In the first place, he has been deprived of the lieutenancy, which he desired. Secondly he is clearly prejudiced against Othello's race and colour. Finally, there is the tiniest hint in Shakespeare's play of Iago's dissatisfied love for Desdemona. But the trouble with these motives is that we are not convinced that they really are the main reasons of Iago's villainy, at times it seems as if he throws a motive so casually at us that we feel as if he is not interested in convincing us, let alone himself. He tells us of his hate first and offers a motive afterwards, 'I hate the moor...will