All is a Stage

At the beginning of the quarter professor Little posed the question asking whether there were actors who are acting at playing or if there are players who are playing at acting in Shakespeare’s plays. Throughout the readings the character Iago has stood out as the most useful figure in attempting to find an answer to this question. In “Othello”, Iago remains the most moral character as he is the only one who remains true and constant in his set of values. However, he is also the one character who performs as both an actor acting at playing and also a player playing at acting. As an actor Iago acts as is necessary throughout the play in order to achieve his own desired outcome. Iago plays the actor acting at playing as his character must exhibit the image of the loyal friend to both Othello and Cassio while still remaining true to his morals which disapprove of both these characters. Iago as a player is aware that this is a performance and thus Iago speaks directly to the audience as he voices the internal thoughts of his character in his aside comments. Iago can be seen as both an actor and a player as his character shifts self-consciousness between being aware of himself within the play and outside of the play among the audience. Having this self-awareness is what allows Iago to perform on all stages.
Ana Davila