Iago: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Iago is also a character in Walt Disney's Aladdin.

Iago is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Othello. Iago, one of Othello's best friends, spends most of the play attempting to bring about Othello's downfall out of jealousy.

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.

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. Whatever his deepest motivation, his hatred towards the Moor is unwavering and moves the action of the play forward. Some modern directors interpret Iago's hate as racism.