Iago

Iago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello. Iago, Othello's best friend, spends most of the play attempting to bring about Othello's downfall by leading him to believe his wife, Desdemona is being unfaithful to him with Cassio, his chief lieutenant. He eventually does destroy Othello's reputation (which leads the Moor to kill himself), but sets the stage to his own doom when his wife Emilia reveals the whole of his plot. At the end of the play Iago is ordered imprisoned by Cassio.

Related Topics:
Fictional character - Shakespeare - Othello - Desdemona

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Iago is one of Shakespeare's most sinister villains. Shakespeare contrasts Iago with Othello's nobility and integrity of character. He has more lines in the play than Othello does - the most any of Shakespeare's non-title characters has.

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Iago is often refered to as "honest Iago," displaying his skill at deceiving other characters so that not only do they not suspect him, but they count on him as the person most likely to be truthful.

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Iago fits into the character type of the malcontent because of his bitter and cynical view of what he sees in the play.

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While the play suggests motives for Iago's hateful scheming, many readers feel that a deeper root remains hidden. Iago cites suspicion that his wife has been unfaithful to him with Othello or bitterness that Othello passed him up for a big promotion, but many interpretations of the play include the idea that Iago is the devil himself.

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The role of Iago has been played in theatre by many famous film stars, such as Ian McKellen, Christopher Plummer, Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh.

Related Topics:
Ian McKellen - Christopher Plummer - Laurence Olivier - Kenneth Branagh

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2001's O, which transported the story to a modern-day high school basketball team, recast Iago as Hugo (played by Josh Hartnett), a psychopathic teenager who hated Odin (Mekhi Phifer in the Othello role) for his superior abilities at the game, and because he thought his father, the coach, favored his star player over his own son. As revenge, he leads Odin to believe that his girlfriend Desi (Julia Stiles in the Desdemona role) was cheating on him. As in the original play, his lies and manipulations lead to a tragic ending.

Related Topics:
2001 - O - Basketball - Josh Hartnett - Psychopath - Mekhi Phifer - Revenge - Julia Stiles

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