And You Shall Be Satisfied

And you shall be satisfied!
I have made my mark in this foreign land,
Reaped great havoc in the noble’s chamber
What great deed I have achieved--
I am satisfied.
The great rewards I plan to reap
No sowing on this young man,
Just influence and immorality.
Lives have been lost, souls have been captured
But I remain free, like a bird.
My conscious is left without injury,
I liberate the liars and dispose the soft-hearted
I shall forever rein Lieutenant,
And I am satisfied.
Join the rank of folly men
And seek the gains of unjustly pursuits.
Let our mindsets roam like Machiavelli-
No ‘justs’ or ‘means’ but merely an end,
And you shall be satisfied!

IAGO: And you shall be satisfied.
Last line in Act 4 Scene 2. Many people merely hear what they WANT to hear instead of hearing what they need to hear. Iago is a mastermind in which he creates scenarios for many of the characters in Othello that help feed into their darkest and most secret desires. Roderigo is madly in love with Desdemona, so Iago finds a way to tap into that love, manipulating Roderigo in hating the Moor and spending all of his money to help aid Iago’s cause in becoming Lieutenant. Iago also brings out Othello’s worst fear that Desdemona will become unfaithful. Iago creates a very in-depth situation which ruins Desdemona, enrages Othello and demotes Cassio, leaving Iago the position for Lieutenant, which is in essence the entire reason for this crazy situation.
I chose this line because I thought it represented Iago very well and sheds light on his menacing nature. Some of the literary elements I included were in reference to Iago’s influence in Othello & Desdemona’s demise ([reaping] great havoc in the noble’s chamber) in which both ended up empty and alone all while Iago was pursuing his own happiness in becoming Lieutenant, at whatever cost. Another element I included was Iago’s lack of a conscious; Iago continues to provide fuel for the chaos but never repents, only hoping to never get caught. At this point, the poem suggests that Iago has a fair chance in getting away with his horrible misdeeds, but after finishing the novel, the reader is content because the impostor is finally revealed to the characters in the play. However, the poem is mocking all the people who believe in Iago’s little ploys. The speaker also suggests that one can be happy by manipulating others because that means getting what you want, as Iago has done.