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- Manipulative - he wants to cause the other characters pain and manages to get in to their heads 'O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!'
- Intelligent - he changes his voice depending on the character he is talking to (long speeches to Rod, short lines to Othy)
- Envies Cassio's position - wants to be lieutenant 'One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, A fellow almost damn'd in a fair wife; That never set a squadron in the field, Nor the division of a battle knows More than a spinster'
- Jealous because he believes Oth has slept with Emilia 'I hate the Moor: And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets He has done my office: I know not if't be true; But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety'
- Only serves himself 'Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago: In following him, I follow but myself; Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, But seeming so, for my peculiar end'
- Sees Roderigo as basically someone to do his dirty work 'Thus do I ever make my fool my purse'
- Gets rid of anything that could threaten what he is working for - kills Rod 'No, he must die. But so: I hear him coming'
- Crude and crass - makes crude jokes about women 'She never yet was foolish that was fair; For even her folly help'd her to an heir'
- Cruel to Emilia, who shows loyalty to him throughout 'She puts her tongue a little in her heart, And chides with thinking.'
- Encompasses Renaissance views on the role of women 'Come on, come on; you are pictures out of doors, Bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens, Saints in your injuries, devils being offended, Players in your housewifery, and housewives' in your beds.'
- Creates drama and dramatic irony throughout the play by use of asides and soliloquies 'After some time, to abuse Othello's ear That he is too familiar with his wife. He hath a person and a smooth dispose To be suspected, framed to make women false. The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by the nose As asses are. '
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- Antagonist
- The most intelligent character on stage - however dispute against 'Shakespeare bestows upon Iago the greatest of intellectual gifts' - Goddard
- Creates dramatic irony
- Plays were very much audience participated at time - by making the audience part of the play Shakespeare kept them involved and happy
- Iago - name=Spanish, Spain was main enemy of England at the time, audience would be predisposed to dislike him as a character
- Breaks down the relationship of Des and Oth - this links to genre (domestic Shakespearean tragedy) wherein relationships and their breakdown are the main focus
- Epitomises jealousy and envy - the green eyed monster
- Shows us the less liberal values by hating Oth and making xenophobic slurs throughout ('old black ram', 'barbary horse', 'moor')
- Compliments Oth - Oth's jealousy causes his downfall, in the end Iago's jealousy and envy causes his
- Shows Rod's stupidity and easily manipulated nature
- Often described with the epithet 'honest Iago' - ironic as the audience knows he isn't honest apart from during his asides and soliloquies
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- Grows more antagonistic as play progresses - causes physical pain and eventually death
- Manages to properly manipulate Othello - which causes Des' murder
- Has a role in 4 deaths - 2 physically (Rod and Emilia), 2 background roles (Oth and Des)
- We never see him brought to justice - ultimately lacks catharsis that audience is meant to feel at end of play
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- Shakespeare bestows upon Iago the greatest of intellectual gifts - Goddard
- Burning rage and burning tears - Bradley
- Joker of the pack - Auden
- Iago enjoys a godlike sense of power - Honigman
- Iago thinks in a colour scheme that associates blackness with sin and errant sexuality - Hall
- Iago is a cultural hyperbole - Newman
- Iago is a being who hates good simply because it is good, and loves evil purely for itself - Bradley
- Iago manages to reduce Othello's language as well as his honour - Kermode
- Iago is motivated by more than a mere desire for revenge - Kermode
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