However as well as presenting Iago as potentially evil, Shakespeare also presents him as extremely intelligent. Given the similarities between the results of the plague(s) described in the bible and the results of Iago’s actions, it could be said that Shakespeare was foreshadowing here. This was God’s act of revenge against the Egyptians and it could be inferred that Iago is seeking similar revenge, something emphasised by the fact that he is only following Othello’s orders so that he can “serve turn upon him”. In fact it is actually his idea to “call up her father” and “poison his delight.” He also encourages Roderigo to “plague him with flies”, an idea which is reminiscent of the plague of dog-flies described in the bible. In Act 1 Scene 1 alone he causes trouble by rousing Brabantio with Roderigo. Given the nature of Iago’s character throughout the play, one could say this implication that he is the devil is not too far from the truth. If ‘I am that I am’ is taken to mean God, Iago’s statement is the direct opposite, implying he is the opposite of God and all things associated with him. However, it is worth noting that the phrase is remarkably similar to one used in the bible: when Moses asks God his name, God replies ‘I am that I am’. IagoFrom the outset of Act 1, scene 1 Shakespeare presents Iago as a cunning and multifaceted character, an idea epitomised by his own admission ‘I am not what I am.’ This sentence, in context, is referring to the fact that Iago is not the faithful soldier he appears to be to Othello.
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