Deciphering Iago: The Quintessential Villain

According to jerryjenkins.com, a great villain is someone who is convinced he is the good guy, has many likeable qualities, is a worthy enough opponent to make the hero look good, is clever and accomplished enough that people lend him begrudging respect, is not a fool, has many of the same characteristics of the hero but are misdirected, can be merciless, is persuasive, will stop at nothing to get what he wants, is proud, deceitful, vengeful, and jealous of the hero.

Of these character traits, Iago makes up the perfect villain. These characteristics intensify as the plot of the play unfolds and Iago’s jealousy of Cassio turns into a spiteful and purely evil scheme to ruin Othello’s life. Some may believe Iago had probable cause for being angry

Through this plan, Iago is able to take them both out. Another key characteristic of Iago is his cunningness. Iago does not suddenly decide he wants to ruin Othello’s life; he makes a well thought-out and ingenious scheme. Through this manipulative and cunning behavior, Iago is able to devise such a plan that no one knows that he is the reason behind it. Much like a characteristic of a “villain”, Iago has no regard for the people around him. He goes as far as to deceive and betray his own wife for the sole purpose of getting his revenge on Othello. This disregard for human life and dignity symbolizes that Iago is not simply acting out of jealousy or betrayal; he is in fact solely and whole-heartedly acting out of pure evilness. This deception of even his loved ones is the ultimate determinate of his villainous character. Iago does everything in his nature to cause Othello the same pain and betrayal Othello caused him. He does this through manipulation. Iago makes Othello question everything he once thought was steadfast by constantly makes him doubt what he truly cares about (his pride/ trust in Cassio, his feelings for Desdemona, and even his trust in himself). In the play,