Othello - 8

Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare

"Of one that loved not wisely but too well; Of one not easily jealous, but, being wrought, Perplexed in the extreme; of one whose hand, like the base Indian, threw a pearl away" (Shakespeare, V.ii.343-346).

Is Iago the greatest villain of all? I would not be able to say he is the greatest villain of all but he has to be up there in the ranks. The cunning Iago resulted in the death of the hero! The resolution of Othello was going to be his imprisonment for aiding with the planning of murdering Cassio. Personally, I would believe that Othello was a victim to Iago and is therefore innocent of being an accomplice as he only knew false knowledge. Before Othello is taken away, though, he commits suicide. Through this, Iago is villainous as the great Othello that was so noble and peaceful, is committing suicide for the actions he took under false suppositions. Also, the one man Iago wanted to rid of from the beginning of the play was Cassio and he lived. Overall, Iago is a great villain in his failures. His plan from the start of the play was to be in Cassio's position as he felt he deserved the position instead of Cassio. At the end though, Iago does not even achieve that. He only achieves destroying the lives of everyone around him for his greed. The irony of what Iago wants and what he achieves creates Iago to be a great villain.