Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living… in early modern Venice, serving under the general Othello.
Visiting... Cyprus. When Othello was sent to help repel the Turks, Iago went with him. Now that the city has been saved from invasion, they're spending a few days there to celebrate the victory.
Profession… soldier. But Iago doesn’t seem quite content, and he's jealous of Othello's decision to promote Cassio, another one of Othello’s right-hand-men, to lieutenant. With Othello seeming unwilling to recognize his skills, Iago has decided to take matters into his own hands.
Interests… manipulating everyone around him. There isn’t a single person that Iago hasn’t told some lie to or led around by the nose for his own purposes. What he says varies by the minute, but one thing is sure: Iago hates Othello and wants to bring him down—though his motivations are unclear.
Relationship Status… married. His wife Emilia is an attendant to Othello’s wife, Desdemona. One of the reasons Iago hates Othello is that he suspects him of sleeping with Emilia, saying, “I hate the Moor;/And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets/He has done my office.” But Iago otherwise doesn’t seem to care much about his wife.
Challenge… bringing Othello down. Iago cares about nothing but making Othello miserable, and in order to do that, he's willing to ruin the lives of everyone around him. However, that doesn't mean Iago has to be obvious about it. No, as he puts it, “When devils will the blackest sins put on/They do suggest at first with heavenly shows/As I do now.” He is careful to avoid everyone’s suspicion, for if it becomes clear that Iago's the one behind all the gossip and doubts, then his whole plan will fall apart.
Personality… manipulative and sociopathic. Iago cares about nothing but his revenge on Othello, but he doesn’t seem to have a clear reason for hating him so intensely. But with such a clever tongue and sharp wits, it’s easy for Iago to get his way—especially since he doesn’t care if people have to die for it.
Get to Know him in...
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The evil Iago pretends to be friend of Othello in order to manipulate him to serve his own end in the film version of this Shakespeare classic.
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The New York Theater Workshop's production of Othello, starring Daniel Craig and David Oyelowo, and directed by Tony award-winning director Sam Gold, opens in November. This production is sponsored in part by The Pelican Shakespeare series and Penguin Classics.
This edition of Othello is edited with an introduction and notes by Russ McDonald and was recently repackaged with cover art by Manuja Waldia. Waldia received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators for the Pelican Shakespeare series.
The legendary Pelican Shakespeare series features authoritative and meticulously researched texts paired with scholarship by renowned Shakespeareans. Each book includes an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare’s time, an introduction to the individual play, and a detailed note on the text used. Updated by general editors Stephen Orgel and A. R. Braunmuller, these easy-to-read editions incorporate over thirty years of Shakespeare scholarship undertaken since the original series, edited by Alfred Harbage, appeared between 1956 and 1967. With stunning new covers, definitive texts, and illuminating essays, the Pelican Shakespeare will remain a valued resource for students, teachers, and theater professionals for many years to come.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. -
When a secret marriage is planned between Othello, a Moorish general, and Desdemona, the daughter of Senator Brabantio, her old suitor Roderigo takes it hard. He allies himself with Iago, who has his own grudge against Othello, and the two conspire to bring Othello down. When their first plan, to have him accused of witchcraft, fails, they plant evidence intended to make him believe Desdemona is unfaithful.
