Does Iago Want Othello for Himself?

I really enjoyed the first act of Othello because I got to see what an evil character Iago really is.  Most of the other stories we have read haven't had villains this well developed.  Iago is not a buffoon who is transparent when he is trying to stir up trouble.  Iago is really good at it.  It is fun to watch a master work in just about any kind of situation, and Iago is clearly a master  manipulator.  What really sets him apart from Unferth and other characters who have rooted against our heroes achieving their successes is that Iago can really prevent the successes from happening for Othello.

I read and re-read the second and third acts because something just seemed a little off to me on Iago's motivations.  As we discussed in class, he is mad at Othello for passing him over for promotion and/or he is mad about the possibility that Othello slept with his wife.  I think I misread this situation in class yesterday.  I originally thought that Othello sleeping with his wife wouldn't upset Iago because Iago was selfish.  Now, after reading and re-reading, I think Iago really just wants Othello for himself.  There seems to be a lot of hints of homosexuality present in the text.

Iago is clearly obsessed with sex during the play.  He brings it up on many occasions and even rather inappropriately when they are waiting on news of whether or not Othello's ship survived the storm.  However, you never see him really have any interest in having sex with his wife.  He does seem to have some interest in bedding Desdemona, but apparently it is only as a way to get revenge on Othello.  He would seem to get just as much satisfaction out of having one of the other characters bed Desdemona.  Although he mentioned wife for wife in one of his rambles, it appears to me that he might be interested in Othello for himself.

Iago seems to delight in the fact of disrupting Othello's attempts at sex with Desdemona.  He also goes on and on about how much he hates Othello and uses just about every racial slur he can think of when talking about it.  I just see this as being like how kids ridicule and taunt the kids that they really like.  It is just like a boy saying he hates a girl when he is really interested in her.  Iago may protest about Othello just a little too much.  This is classic homophobia at work.  It just appears that maybe he is interested in bedding Othello.  I haven't finished the play yet, so I'm not sure how it all turns out.  But, after reading and re-reading, I do think there is something there in the subtext supporting my view on this.  I doubt that Iago will ever bed Othello, so we will probably never know for sure.  In fact, I find myself doubting that someone as evil as Iago will even survive the play.  But, he is like a cockroach and those things have a way of surviving just about any kind of situation that arises.