Roderigo is a Venetian nobleman who is desperately in love with Desdemona, even though Desdemona is the prized possession that only Othello could capture the heart of; yet this does not stop Roderigo from paying Iago an exuberant amount of money to win her affections, despite her being loyal, married woman. One of the best parts about Roderigo’s character, though, are his melodramatic outpourings, announcing that he will “drown” himself for not being able to have Desdemona! Roderigo seems to have no qualms in saying these things, even looking at life as pointless if he cannot secure the love of a married woman. He claims that “it is silliness to live when to live is torment,” despite him having extreme wealth and an otherwise fortunate life. The other characters in the play look at him similarly to how many critics view Roderigo – a foolish, ungrateful, and ungrounded aristocrat. Iago calls him a ‘fool’ in Act 2, and continuously plays upon Roderigo’s easily manipulated nature in many of his schemes against Othello. Despite Roderigo and Iago being unlikely accomplices, they do both hold a racial prejudice towards Othello, Roderigo referring to Othello as “thick- lips.” Interestingly, Roderigo is able to surprise us all by standing up to Iago in Act 4, resulting in a fairly sympathetic character arc. Ultimately however, he dies because of Iago – a victim of his own weakness and easily exploitable flaws.
