An Ontological Transgression

Iago as Representation in Its Pure Form

Abstract

This paper attempts to present various approaches to Iago's function and position in Shakespeare's Othello in order to show different cultural-dramatic levels and layers of contrasting interpretations that are present in the drama. The suggested hypothesis of the paper is that the peculiar ontology of this figure can be explained by the late-Renaissance epistemological crisis and the basic change in the logic of representation that took place at the beginning of the 17th century. A painting by Velaz­quez, Las Meninas, is examined as a parallel to Iago's paradoxical existence and as another example that, similarly to Iago's, reflects and comments on the changed modes of representation of the age.