By Boy Tunnel

In William Shakespeare's play Othello, there are a number of different themes. Perhaps the most prominent theme in the play is that of jealousy. One instance in where this theme is found is in the villain Iago's jealousy of Othello's Lieutenant Cassio. Iago feels that he should have been chosen to act as Othello's Lieutenant rather than Cassio. In Shakespeare's play, Cassio was appointed as Othello's Lieutenant instead of Iago because he was more educated, had a higher social class, and was, to Othello, a more trustworthy man.

At the beginning of the play, Iago makes it clear that he is angry with Othello simply bay saying: "I hate the Moor," (1, 3, 380). Though Iago's statement may seem blunt, he may have good reason to be. It is obvious that both Cassio and Iago are close to Othello. Iago himself says that "[Othello] holds [him] well," indicating the respect and trust that Othello has for him (1, 3, 84). Because both men are equally good friends to Othello, Iago sees no reason for Othello to choose Cassio instead of him.

To support Iago's argument, we should consider that Cassio has much less military experience than Iago. In the first scene of the play, Iago explains to Roderigo that "[Cassio has] never set a squadron in the field," (1, 1, 22). This passage suggests that Iago feels that he is more qualified for the position of Lieutenant than Cassio is. Iago goes on to express his jealousy Cassio as he describes Cassio's soldiership as being "Mere prattle without practice," (1, 1, 26). Again, Iago dwells on the fact that Cassio has little military experience. Iago also indicates his belief that he should have been chosen as Lieutenant as he says that "[he is] worth no worse a place," (1, 1, 11). This passage simply means that Iago's qualifications and experience should not allow him to be anything else but Othello's Lieutenant. Furthermore, there is an instance in the play where Cassio gets drunk and gets into a fight with Roderigo. Though this incident was set up by Iago, it still shows Cassio's irresponsibility and lack of self-control.

Although Iago has a fairly reasonable argument to why he should have been chosen as Othello's Lieutenant, we must consider some of the reasons why Othello would elect Cassio instead. The most obvious reason that Othello has for choosing Cassio is that Cassio comes from the upper-classes of society. Because Cassio grew up among a noble family in Cyprus, the people there all have high respect for him. Therefore, it is only fitting that Othello would elect him as Lieutenant. Because Cassio has a higher social position than Iago, Othello may have hoped to gain from giving Cassio the position. Since Othello was among the lower classes of society, he may have hoped to "boost" his status by declaring Cassio as Lieutenant. The people of Cyprus had come to trust and respect Cassio since his early years, and by making Cassio his Lieutenant, Othello could also gain much respect from the citizens. Though there is no solid proof in the play that suggest it, it is possible that Othello had hoped to gain trust, respect, and a higher social position by appointing Cassio as his Lieutenant.

Another reason that compelled Othello to choose Cassio over Iago is that Cassio is much more educated than Iago. It is likely that Cassio is even more educated that Othello, as he grew up in a high- classed family. Even Iago himself suggests that Cassio is more educated than he is when he says that Cassio was "a great arithmetician," (1, 1, 19-20). By mentioning Cassio's abilities, Iago may be implying that it was Cassio's education is that won him the position. Regardless, Cassio's education was certainly an advantage for him in acquiring the Lieutenant status.

There is no doubt that Othello saw the education and social position of Cassio as a good reason to elect him as Lieutenant. Nonetheless, Othello's intuition also played an important role. Though Othello says little to suggest that Cassio is a better man than Iago, he probably had an inner feeling that Iago was not totally honest. This "gut" feeling may have been derived from Cassio's and Iago's background. Cassio, of course, came from a wealthy, noble, high- ranking family whereas Iago came from the uneducated lower classes of society. The conclusion that can be drawn from these backgrounds is that Othello somewhat suspected Iago of being partially disloyal or dishonest because of his social position. Though this notion is stereotypical, it turned out to be accurate. Naturally, Othello's judgment of character played an important role in his decision.

Generally, Iago had good reason to complain about being denied the Lieutenant's position. He was a much more military-experienced man than Cassio and was better suited for the job. However, Cassio was well educated, well liked, and had a high social status. Othello's intuition played a vital role in his decision as it saw Cassio as a trustworthy, loyal man and saw Iago as the villain that he truly was.