How does shakespeare show Iago is a villain in the play 'Othello'?

Question

i have to write an essay, and all i need to know is a few quotes from the play to show that Iago is a villain. I need a quote to back up my point that says our first impression of Iago is a villain. What quote could i use for this?

Answer 1

Try this website - http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/ot...  there are quotes, summaries and character profiles for Othello here.  

There is a lot of material you could use in Iago's first speech. Even though he is clearly very bitter and thinking of revenge, his comments about Cassio actually suggest that he is justified in his feelings of bitterness.  Iago was overlooked by Othello for a promotion he deserved in favour of Cassio.  Cassio comes across as a flirtatious swaggerer and certainly not as deserving of the promotion as Iago would have been.  So Iago is not simply a machiavellian villain, he has his reasons for doing what he does, however misguided. He is also quite insecure in himself even though he portrays himself as a master manipulator of everyone around him.  He is afraid that his wife is having an affair with Othello and so he creates the lie that Othello's wife is having an affair with Cassio thereby discrediting Othello's virtuous wife, along with his new lieutenant Cassio and making Othello doubt himself.

Try this quote from Iago: "O beware my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on".  Iago is deliberately putting the idea in Othello's mind that he has something to be jealous of.  He has manouvered a fight between Cassio and Rodrigo which will result in Cassio's immediate dismissal by Othello.  Iago then arranges for Desdemona to plead Cassio's case & all the time he is hinting that Othello has cause to be jealous of Cassio and Desdemona.

A good example of Iago's villainy is this early quote: "I follow him to serve my turn upon him." Iago is clearly admitting to Rodrigo that he is now only serving Othello as he bides him time while he plans to destroy him utterly.

Hope this helps & good luck with your essay!

Answer 2

This has a lot of information on Iago : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iago

This has a lot of the main quotes :

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Othello

Good Luck :) x