Act 2 - Scene 1

1. Re-read Act 2 Scene 1 lines 95-100. What sort of person is Cassio?
Cassio is from Florence, different to everyone else who are from Venice. In Florence, people act differently to how people act in Venice. Cassio has been brought up to be very kind, open and friendly so it is no surprise that he is always kissing and hugging the women. This does not necessarily  mean that he is a womaniser, but he is just very welcoming to his friends.


2&3. How does Iago plan to use Cassio’s character traits to usurp and ensnare both Cassio and Othello? What does Iago tell Roderigo to do, and why does Iago say it will help Roderigo to win Desdemona’s heart?
Iago convinces Roderigo that Cassio is bound to be Desdemona's second choice when she grows bored of Othello because they are so close and he has such 'hidden loose affection'. Iago soon figures out that he can trick everybody into thinking that Cassio and Desdemona are together behind Othello's back, and so far he has already convinced Roderigo. Because Iago believes that Othello 'hath leap'd into my seat', he feels that he must get revenge and he plans to do this by making the Othello mad with jealousy.
Iago knows that Cassio has a bad reputation as a drunk, and this is shown when he says 'he's rash and very sudden in choler'. Iago has no trouble with getting Roderigo to agree to anger Cassio during a celebration for beating the Turks.
Overall, Iago plans to use Cassio's goodwill and friendliness to his advantage by making it seem out of lust for Desdemona.
4. What more do we learn about the nature of Iago in Act 2? What is the effect of having him share his thoughts and plans with us through his soliloquies? Pay attention to the language used in Iago's soliloquies. What sorts of descriptive language does he use? How does it contribute to the picture of Iago that Shakespeare is drawing?

Iago is a very duplicitous character as he is deceitful towards all of the other characters, including his wife! Although he acts as the trustworthy good friend, he is nothing but the opposite! By sharing his thoughts and plans to the audience in his many soliloquies, the audience become aware of his plan, whilst the other characters on stage are unknowing. This creates dramatic irony because we know more about what is going on than the characters do, adding to the effect of the play being more tragic and dramatic towards the end.
Additionally, Iago speaks in prose whilst talking to the fellow characters but when he is only speaking to the audience (in his 'asides') he is speaking in prose. By speaking in prose he automatically sounds more sophisticated compared to whilst he talks in prose, which is more informal and friendly. This gives the audience an idea of his manipulative character and the way he can switch his 'personality' on and off to accommodate his plans. By doing this, Shakespeare has made it clear that he intends Iago to be the villain in Othello.
Iago uses numerous pronouns in his final soliloquy 'I' giving the impression that he only cares about himself, which is shown by how he uses characters to get what he wants. In conclusion, Shakespeare is drawing an image of a character who only cares about getting what he wants, and will not stop until he gets it.