Volume 06 Issue 11 November 2023
Dr. Miriam Mezghani
Department of English, Higher Institute of Science applied to Humanities of El Kef, Tunisia
DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i11-05Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
“Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus” so claims Iago in Shakespeare’s Othello. His character compresses multiple complex versions, soliciting a large assortment of deliberations. He is the concentration of evil who thrives in breaking moral imperatives. He is a reflection of bigoted racism, or hegemonic patriarchy. In other instances, his repressed homoerotic desires are at the origins of his hatred and violence towards Othello. Interpretations of Iago converge and diverge into a timeless maelstrom of critical scrutiny. Beyond the ethical, cultural, social, sexual, and political boundaries, Iago can be read within an economic girth. Shakespeare’s Othello is entrenched in a world of social struggle and political upheaval. Iago’s pursuit of happiness is contingent not on changing fortunes but rather on avid individualism. His intentions and motivations might be an expression of a nascent Renaissance entrepreneurial values. Instead of a struggling proletariat, Iago stands for hostile and aggressively ambitious capitalism. The purpose of this article is to show that Iago’s character is a manifesto of an emergent Early Modern capitalism. His ruthlessness foreshadows a similar merciless modern economic ideology. Concepts such as servitude, desire, and individualism will be patterns that attempt to break down the conundrum that is Iago within a capitalist dialectic.
KEYWORDS:Iago, service, desire, individualism, revolution, Renaissance capitalism
REFERENCES1) Baudrillard, J. (1990). Seduction . Palgrave Macmillan.
2) Baudrillard, J. (2016). The Consumer Society Myths and Structures . SAGE Publications.
3) Bibard, L. (2005). The Ethics of Capitalism. Dans D. Daianu, & R. Vranceanu, Ethical Boundaries of Capitalism.
4) Bradley, A. C. (1904). Shakespearean Tragedy. Macmillan.
5) Cai, H., Huang, Z., & Jing, Y. (2019). "Living in a Changing World: The Chagne of Culture and Psychology" . In D. Matsumoto, & . C. Hwang, The Handbook of Culture and Psychology. Oxford University Press .
6) Engels, F. (1995). in I. Kamps, Materialist Shakespeare: A History. Verso .
7) Fossettt, T. (1613). Servants Dutie .
8) Graeber, D. (2007 ). Possibilities Essays on Hierarchy, Rebellion ,and Desire . AK Press.
9) Halliburton, D. (1997). The Fateful Discourse of Worldly Things. Stanford University Press.
10) Halpern, R. (1991). The Poetics of Primitive Accumulation English Renaissance Culture and The Genealogy of Capital . Cornell University Press.
11) Korda, N., & Dowd, M. (2011). Working Subjects in Early Modern English Drama. Ashgate Publishing .
12) Munck, B. D., & Lyna, D. (2016 ). Concepts of Value in European Material Culture, 1500-1900. Taylor & Francis.
13) Oyserman, D., & Spike, L. (2008). "Does Culture Influence what and how We Think?" American Psychological Association, 32.
14) Pechter, E. (2012 ). Othello and Interpretive Traditions. University of Iowa Press.
15) Rivlin, E. (2012). The Aesthetics of Service in Early Modern Period. Northwestern University Press.
16) Rose, M. B. (1997). Explorations in Renaissance Drama. Northwestern University Press.
17) Shakespeare, W. (1603). Othello The Moor of Venice .
18) Smith, A. (1776). Wealth of Nations .
19) Suhr, D. (2012). The Capitalistic Cost-Benefit Structure of Money. Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
20) Turner, B., Abercrombie, N., & Hill, S. (2014 ). Sovereign Individuals of Capitalism. Taylor & Francis.
21) Twenge, M., Campbell, K., & Gentile, B. (2013 ). "Changes in Pronoun use in American Books and the Rise of Individualism". Cross-Cultural Psychology , 406-415.