Roderigo
Key catalyst to further the plot (thematic level)
Characterised with jealousy
Primary role is to enable the audience to gain insight into Iago's modus operandi
Roderigo is jealous of Othello for being married to Desdemona. Roderigo wants to be with Desdemona so badly that he basically goes stupid. He starts paying Iago thinking that Iago is giving the money to Desdemona and that it's going to make her fall in love with him. Roderigo states "never tell me; I take it much unkindly, that thou, Iago, who hast had my purse, as if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this" in Act 1 Scene 1.
Roderigo feels his friend Iago, who is helping him win the love of Desdemona, should known about what is happening in Desdemona's life. Iago defends himself by explaining Desdemona's marriage to Othello was sudden, and he had no knowledge of it. In order to protect his interests, Iago convinces Roderigo to inform Desdemona's father of his daughter's new marriage to cause a lot of problems throughout the rest of the play.
Roderigo is envious towards Othello because he wants his wife, Desdemona, for himself. When Roderigo finds out Othello had secretly married Desdemona he quickly goes to her father to tell him the news, “your fair daughter… Transported with no worse nor better guard… To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor”. Roderigo informs Brabantio of this for his own selfish reasons not to do a good deed. Jealousy affects Roderigo in a big way because he cannot live his life happily knowing he is not with Desdemona, making him a bitter and evil person. Jealousy does not only make him wicked but it makes Roderigo misperceive the current situation, which causes him to not be able to determine what is reasonable and what is not. This makes him commit very foolish decisions
" if / thou the next night following enjoy not Desdemona, / take me from this world with treachery and devise / engines for my life". This quote shows how much he loves Desdemona. He would rather die than not be with her.
"By heaven, I rather would have been his hangman." He is so jealous of Othello that Roderigo says that he would rather be his executioner than see him with Desdemona. Roderigo is insanely jealous of Othello because he is married to Desdemona whom Roderigo is ultimately in love with.
Honigmann says "Roderigo's over-mastering, self-destructive desire for Desdemona mirrors Othello's".
The subplot involving Roderigo is linked very closely to the main plot, so much so that they become interwoven. Roderigo’s primary role is to enable the audience to gain insight into Iago’s methods. In his exchanges with the "poor trash of Venice" the ensign Iago’s evil nature is revealed. In the subplot Iago exploits Roderigo for his money, promising his victim that he will be able to enjoy Desdemona’s sexual favours. In Cyprus, Iago propels Roderigo into the main plot. Roderigo is used as a pawn in two key scenes: the drinking scene where Cassio is provoked, and then the attack on Cassio’s life in Act V. It seems appropriate that Roderigo is the first of Iago’s victims to die: he was the first to be taken in.
Honigmann says that Roderigo plays an important role in 'Othello'. He says "Roderigo activates poisonous impulses in Iago".
Later in the play, Roderigo explains “My money is almost spent, I have been tonight exceedingly well cudgeled, and I think the issue will be I shall have so much experience for my pains”. This makes it clear that Iago is not making any plan to improve Roderigo's position, and is instead looking out for himself.
After Desdemona has gotten permission to accompany Othello to Cyprus, Roderigo is broken-hearted and says to Iago “I will incontinently drown myself”. Roderigo imagines himself to be a heroic lover, one who would dramatically drown himself, rather than live without love. Water motif. Iago upbraids his supposed friend Roderigo for threatening to drown himself over his unrequited love for Desdemona, who has just married Othello. The use of the word ‘incontinent’ could be said to suggest a sexual incontinence in the sense that he cannot control his love for Desdemona, so much so that he is considering suicide. Roderigo’s absolute and unrequited love for Desdemona becomes absolutely clear.
Roderigo’s Achilles' heel is his love and desire to be with Desdemona. Roderigo had asked Brabantio for Desdemona prior to the first act. Even Brabantio regrets not giving Desdemona to Roderigo, “O, would you had had her” . Iago immediately recognises Roderigo’s fault and begins to take full advantage of him. It is easy to say that Roderigo was the fool of the play because Iago toys with his emotions, but Roderigo was one of the closest characters to Iago.
As much as Iago was using Roderigo, Roderigo was using Iago to try and separate Othello from Desdemona. Roderigo’s extreme feelings make him easily manipulated and unable to fully understand the consequences. Roderigo never does achieve his superobjective for he dies by the hands of Iago. For this reason some see Roderigo as being weak, however I think it shows how deceiving Iago is and how dedicated Roderigo was to his superobjective.
Barker says "He goes to the devil with his eyes open, yet blindly". He is blind to Iago's scheming, giving him money and helping with the plan. Even when Iago tells Roderigo “I am not what I am" - showing just how duplicitous he is - Roderigo doesn't realise and stop trusting him. Jamieson says "Roderigo is Iago's dupe, his fool". He is in love with Desdemona and prepared to do anything to get her, Roderigo is easily manipulated by the evil Iago
Iago convinces Roderigo about Desdemona's "affair" with Cassio by pointing out that they held hands. Iago manipulates Rodrigo by lying. He states that they want to withdraw Othello from Cyprus, handing over the governorship to Cassio. The Moor will take Desdemona with him from here. The only chance to avoid this is to kill Cassio. He is convinced by the villain to follow through with the plan to kill Cassio, despite his misgiving, "I have no great devotion to the deed".
In the end, Roderigo is stabbed his only "friend," Iago, who does not want him to reveal his secret plot. However, Roderigo finally outsmarts him by quickly writing a letter which he places in his pocket, pointing to Iago’s involvement in the plot and his guilt. Although he ultimately dies, he is in some part redeemed by his letters "Roderigo meant to have sent this damned villain, / But that, belike, Iago in the interim / Came in and satisfied him" says Lodovico.
Beginning the play with the interaction between Iago and Roderigo allows the audience to see Iago’s powers of deceit and manipulation: by the time he decides to turn his attention to making Othello believe that Desdemona has been unfaithful, the audience have the beginning of a sense of the damage someone of his Machiavellian nature might cause.
The play is structurally punctuated by intermittent returns to the opening Iago-Roderigo dynamic: doing so binds the play’s action together and provides the audience with a tangible sense of the plays progression – or descent – from its opening, with its overtones of comedy or even pantomime, to tragedy
Act One, Scene Three ending the way it began, with Roderigo and Iago, offers a demonstration of how quick events have progressed. Roderigo leaving allows the audience to see Iago alone, in soliloquy: for the first time we see with some level of detail the workings of his mind, not influenced by putting on a performance for others.