Iago's Motiveless Malignity Analysis
A free english worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.
Iago's Motiveless Malignity Analysis
Act 2, Scene 1: Iago’s account of himself
In this scene, Othello and his companions have arrived safely in Cyprus. Cassio has been appointed Othello’s lieutenant, while Iago is Othello’s ensign. After speaking with Roderigo, Iago is left alone and reveals his thoughts to the audience. I hate the Moor; And it is thought abroad, that ’twixt my sheets He has done my office: I know not if ’t be true; But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety. Modern-English gloss: I hate Othello. People say he has slept with my wife. I do not know whether it is true, but I will act as though my suspicion were certain. I have told Roderigo that I follow Othello only to serve my own purpose. Iago also says that he will make Cassio’s apparent courtesy look like evidence that Desdemona loves him. The audience hears Iago’s plans directly, while the other characters do not.
Read closely
Use the extract and gloss above as your evidence. ‘Motiveless malignity’ is Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s description of Iago’s evil as seeming to lack an adequate motive; it is an interpretation to test, not a fact you must accept.
- He says, “I know not if ’t be true”.
- He says that Cassio is Othello’s lieutenant.
- He says that Othello has arrived in Cyprus.
- He says that Roderigo is listening.
- Cassio
- Roderigo
- The audience
- Hears Iago’s private plans
- Has been appointed Othello’s lieutenant
- Is told that Iago serves Othello for his own purpose
3 printable pages
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
About This Worksheet
Free in Kuraplan
Sign up free, grab the PDF, and customize it for your class.
Print-Ready
Formatted for standard paper. Clean layout, easy to read.
AI-Generated
Created with Kuraplan's AI, designed for real classroom use.
For Teachers & Parents
Use in classrooms, for homework, tutoring, or homeschool.
Need a custom version of this worksheet?
Kuraplan's AI generates custom worksheets in seconds — differentiated for every learner, aligned to your curriculum.
Generate Custom Worksheets — Free
