William Shakespeare's "Othello" is possibly his most complex play. "Othello" deals with the natural human qualities of self-pride, love and deception. Iago either exemplifies or significantly lacks each of these four attributes. Because of his relation to each of these attributes, Iago emerges as the most important character of the play. Iago is a character who is only concerned with blackening the names of the two men he thinks have spurned him, and he will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. This paper will explain how each above quality relates to Iago and also how each quality leads to Iago's involvement in the plot of the story.

Iago's jealousy and self-pride lead him to use tactics of deception to seek revenge on Othello and Cassio. Othello chose Cassio as his lieutenant, even after Iago sent three well-respected men of Venice to lobby for Iago's appointment to the...