SYMBOLS AND MOTIFS: Iago as the Serpent

Question 1

“Where is that viper. Bring the villain forth.”

Answer 1

• LODOVICO 5:2:282
• “Viper” - finally, they acknowledge Iago for what he is. The viper, the tempter and the devil.
• The snake of Eden - symbolic of deception, temptation and of course the devil
• Snakes can also be symbolic of death and the underworld, as they move close to the ground and shed their skin.
• They are also symbolic of transformation due to being able to shed their skin. This perhaps may link to how Iago transforms his persona in his deception, or even how Othello transforms due to being deceived.

Question 2

“If any wretch have put this in your head,/ Let heaven requite it with the serpent’s curse!/ For if she be not honest, chaste and true,/ There’s no man happy.”

Answer 2

• EMILIA 4:2:14-15
• Links to Genesis 3:14 - “Then the Lord God said to the serpent, Because thou hast done this [betrayed Adam and Eve], thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field”. This idea of the serpent being revealed and punished by God is foreshadowing of Emilia revealing Iago’s deceptions which leads to his punishment.
• Serpent is a reference to Iago, who has tempted Othello with the handkerchief into this belief that Desdemona has been unfaithful. Like the serpent of Eden, through this temptation, Iago has condemned Othello and Desdemona to a life of misery as “original sin” has begun.