Iago: Favoritism and social climbing in Othello

Abstract

Criticism of Shakespeare's athelia has neglected the play's dramatization of the pursuit of wealth which was a socio-political practice rampant in Elizabethan England. During that age, accruing wealth involved social and political activities such as "favoritism," social climbing, and military position hunting. The play dramatizes these activities through the image of money with which the play opens and closes, and through the competition for the "lieutenancy." Wealth and military positions were attractive to the Elizabethan man because they most often led to political power and social prestige. The competition to achieve these objectives runs counter to codes of morality. These activities motivate the play's main action, and relate the play to its historical background, especially the hatred invoked by the practices of climbers.