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Explore the presentation of Iago in Shakespeare’s Othello.

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Explore the presentation of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello. "O damned Iago! Oh inhuman dog!" Iago is one of the most central and many-layered of Shakespeare's villains, though he is also the subject of some controversy. Has Shakespeare created a "motiveless malignity," as Coleridge suggested (Shakespearean Criticism, 1960), or is Iago deeper and more destructively sharp and vindictive? Shakespeare presents a deep-rooted paradox within Iago - his single-minded conviction and confidence alongside an uncertainty of motive. Iago's importance and his role as Othello's 'poisoner' is perhaps the first thing to consider. Is he simply a catalyst, aiding the inevitable, or does he deliberately orchestrate Othello's end on his own? The duality of Iago is also a vital device used by Shakespeare to illustrate his character - Iago is such a gifted actor that no other character even has the opportunity to suspect that he is dishonest. The juxtapositioning of honesty and lies, good...

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