I have always found that trying to puzzle out Iago's
motivation for his actions in Othello is a fun essay. Shakespeare gives us hints, but
never really comes out and states a concrete reason. It leaves us wondering if Iago is
just simply evil, or if he is seeking vengeance for some past wrong that we do not
entirely understand. If you wanted to compare and contrast Iago and Hamlet in terms of
their motivations, that could be a very good essay also. Hamlet can be a deeply
contemplative character. He considers his actions carefully and we get to see glimpses
of his internal conflict over the mission his father has charged him undertake.
You might end up with the proposition that Iago and Hamlet
are the anathema of one another. You might decide that Iago has no motivations other
than an amorphous desire to hurt those around him, while Hamlet has too many motivations
and they slowly tear him apart (He wants to kill his uncle, he hates his mother for
wedding his uncle, the ghost charges him not to harm his mother but to kill his uncle,
he wants to prove he is better than his uncle who killed the king before he could pray,
yet when he has a chance to kill his uncle after his prayers, he can't do it because he
thinks this will permit the murderer to go to heaven, etc.,
etc.)
On the other hand, you might conclude that Hamlet's
motivations are no better than Iago's. Is Hamlet merely seeking revenge for the death
of his father? If you decide that Iago is not simply evil, but is seeking vengeance, is
his revenge (for being passed over for promotion and/or cuckolded) any less justified?
You could go many different directions here, and these plays will give you so much
support for whatever answer you decide on that you can't be
wrong.
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