| “ | How am I then a villain when this advice is free and honest, probal to thinking and indeed, the course to win the Moor again? His soul is so unfettered to Desdemona's love that she may, make, unmake, do what she list. Even as her appetites shall play God with his weak function. How am I then a villain? That counsels Cassio drove directly to his good. Divinity of Hell. When devils will their blackest sins put on, they do suggest at first with heavenly shows as I do now: for whiles, this honest fool plies Desdemona to repair his fortunes and she for him pleads strongly to the Moor, I'll put this pestilence into his ear that she repeals him for her body's lust, and by how much she strives to do him good, she shall undo her credit with the Moor. So will I turn her virtue into pitch, and out of her own goodness make the net that shall enmesh them all. | „ |
| ~ Iago. |
Iago is the main antagonist in William Shakespeare's tragedy play Othello.
What Makes Him Pure Evil?[]
- He takes advantage of Roderigo, who is in love with Desdemona (Othello's wife), by using it to make him his pawn.
- He presents himself as a good, honest man, but in actuality, he is a scheming, manipulative traitor who secretly hates Othello.
- He uses racist language when describing Othello, such as "his Moorship" and "erring barbarian".
- Many productions of the play imply that he abuses his wife, Emilia.
- He plans to ruin Othello’s life by convincing him that his wife, Desdemona, is having an affair with Cassio, who Iago also wants to ruin at the same time.
- He gets Cassio drunk during a party and goads Roderigo into causing a ruckus with the former, leading to Othello demoting him. Afterward, he tricks Cassio into getting into Desdemona's good graces to reclaim his lost position.
- He has Emilia (who was likely tricked into doing it) steal Desdemona’s handkerchief and plant it in Cassio’s room to make it look like Desdemona gave it to Cassio as a lover's token.
- He slowly begins to manipulate Othello to make him think that Desdemona is cheating on him, which finally makes Othello ready to kill Desdemona.
- He sends Roderigo to ambush Cassio and kill him, but the attack fails. Iago, either improvising or planning for this to happen all along, kills Roderigo to stop him from talking and frame Cassio for his murder.
- He kills Emilia in a fit of rage after she exposes his treachery.
- He refuses to explain his motives, frustrating Othello's desire to know why someone he thought of as a friend destroyed his life on purpose.
Trivia[]
- Iago is, alongside King Richard III and The Bastard, one of three Shakespearean villains to be Pure Evil.
External Links[]
- Iago on the Villains Wiki
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 Pure Evils
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Live-Action Films See Also | ||
 Pure Evils
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Iago | King Richard III | The Bastard | ||
