Professor Little redefines the notion of "morality" by challenging popular perception of the character Iago. A moral person is described as "virtuous", "good-natured," "honest," etc. According to the common assumption of "morality," Iago is the villain;
he lies, cheats, and directs a tragic murder. However, Professor Little's definition of morality places Iago as the most moral figure in the play. According to Professor Little, morality is not defined by a standard value system of good vs evil. It doesn't matter if the values are considered "good" or "evil" because those standards are relative. Professor Little instead identifies a more stable, universal definition of morality: A character's morality depends on the actual presence of it, the honesty of it, and one's dedication to it.
Based on that definition, Iago is the moral figure while characters like Othello are the immoral ones. For example, Othello fools himself and others in believing he has a system of values and beliefs, mainly in his love and dedication to Desdemona. For example, when he comes back after the war, he speaks with such eloquence and confidence about his admiration and love for Desdemona.
Amen to that, sweet powers!
I cannot speak enough of this content;
It stops me here; it is too much of joy:
And this, and this, the greatest discords be (2.1.196-197)
The deception in these words are exposed, not created by Iago. Iago merely has to speak a couple words before Othello quickly abandons his trust in Desdemona and instead places his loyalty in Iago. This shows the immorality in Othello or more the amorality in Othello. He never has a genuine system of beliefs. He simply disguises the absence of morals with superficial emotions to fool others and himself. Because he doesn't truly believe in his morals, he is so quickly to abandon them.
Iago is the antithetical character to Othello. Iago has a set system of values and morals. Iago never deceives himself about the character of his beliefs and values. He also doesn't allow himself to waver between different values or ideas. This is why Iago's character and identity is easily recognized in the play because he doesn't hide his identity from himself or the audience. In fact, Iago is the most loyal character to the play itself. Professor Little mentions Shakespeare's character don't own the plays. They are merely part of the plays, but not the creators of the plays. Iago is part of the play and doesn't abandon his role. He is a constant, unchanging in his character, his actions, and his beliefs. He presents stability that the other characters lack.
Josephine (Josie) Lee
Section 1 B Ian Hoch
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In labeling Iago as “moral,” some fundamental assumptions must be espoused. Since “morality” directly concerns itself with terms of “right” and “wrong,” instead of simply “good” and “bad,” or “useful” and “un-useful,” calling Iago’s character “moral” commands us to relocate where “good” and “bad” lie in this play, or what their central focus or axis is. There are two primary ways to approach this. The first is to locate the morality of the world of the play to reflect Iago’s standards, and insist that he speaks as a voice of truth or reason in regards to moral decisions, or at least, decisions that the play espouses. This is a valid claim, considering the success Iago meets in his efforts to maintain certain standards and societal norms. These preoccupations of his moral standards seem to govern his actions, and ultimately, the final destinations of characters in the play. It seems by the way in which Iago’s machinations go unhindered by circumstances in the play that his actions in fact speak for an element of the play’s “morality,” or moral standards. An alternate approach is to say that Iago’s “morality” is entirely polarized on his own personal desires and ambitions, and that all his actions circulate around self-service. Iago claims this for himself in the opening passage when he claims he, in following Othello, follows “but myself.” Taking this into consideration, the play’s seeming “approval” of his resulting actions must be accounted for. Both ideas may be comprised into the solution that Iago’s unwavering selfishness is, in and of itself, a kind of moral code that coincides with the moral interests of the play.
David Pritchett
Aaron Gorelik
Discussion 1C
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