Othello #6

At the end of Act 4 Roderigo becomes frustrated with Iago when he suspects that Iago never intended to aid his chase for Desdemona. He confronts Iago and says, "Every day thou daff'st me with some device, Iago and [...] I will indeed no longer endure it" (183-186). Viewed as the idiot of the play, it is ironic that Roderigo is the only character to pick up on Iago's deception and manipulation. Although Roderigo is aware of Iago's plot to take down Othello and Cassio, Roderigo was never meant to discover Iago's manipulation of him. Roderigo's suspicion marks Iago's first mistake in the play. Previously, Iago's plans and execution have been flawless, but Roderigo's anger highlights the fact that Iago can slip up. Although Iago is quick to fix his mistake, his misstep gives the audience hope that he will not be successful in his evil plans. If the fool of the play can see through Iago's false exterior, the more intelligent characters should be able to as well.

After Roderigo becomes a symbol of hope, he quickly falls back to his expected state of ignorance and stupidity. He agrees to kill Cassio after Iago convinces him that his actions will finally win over Desdemona. Realizing that Roderigo is a threat, Iago declares that he must die: "Live Roderigo, he calls me to restitution large of gold and jewels that I bobbed from him as gifts to Desdemona. It must not be" (14-18). In true Iago fashion, Iago stabs Roderigo after Cassio has already injured him. Although Roderigo was already going to die, Iago makes a final statement of superiority to Roderigo. Iago's violence tells Roderigo that he was right in his suspicion of Iago, but he was too much of a fool to walk away. Iago's final betrayal of Roderigo shows that he takes pride in his malice. Iago could have just let Roderigo die, but he felt compelled to make a final statement to demonstrate his skills of deception.