IAGO!

Iago. Although some people--cough cough Isabel--think he has a "sexy" name (these are exact quotes, I swear), most people read Othello and hate the character Iago. Most people would say he is a scheming, conniving, evil man who enervates the ingenuous Roderigo and is just one step above a political dissident all because he wants to be general of the Venician army.
Even though these things may be completely true, in my opinion, Iago is quite august. In fact, Iago is quite erudite, knowing so much about the people around him that he can mold them like warm clay in his hands. As evil as he may be, Iago ostracizes Cassio (eventually convincing Roderigo to attempt to murder him) and convinces Roderigo to believe that he will marry Desdemona and that Desdemona will love him back. The false camaraderie between the two characters disillusions Roderigo to such an extent that Iago convinces him that Cassio is the only obstacle between Desdemona and Roderigo. And, as we know, Roderigo isn’t too resilient when he’s hurt. (After all, he did become slightly depressed when he heard news of the Desdemona’s marriage).
Iago’s only foible, strangely, is his lack of a love life. There is question throughout the play if he even sleeps with Emilia, his wife. Is the reader supposed to believe that Iago’s exorbitant price for being unbelievably manipulative is love? What bunkum! How is anyone supposed to believe that? The purest form of motivation in literature, especially Shakespeare, is love! (Ever thought of how the phrase “irrevocably in love” applies to almost every Shakespeare character?)
**stay tuned for next post**