"Iago, Manipulating Villain"
             William Shakespeare (1564-1616), one of the great writers of the 16th century wrote the play Othello around 1599. Shakespeare's Othello recounts the tragic consequences of hatred, jealousy, revenge, and exploited and misplaced trust (Bloom 13). The story opens-up in the city of Venice, and this is where the evil unfolds around Othello by the hands of the malignant Iago. George Williams, one of Shakespeare's critics, states, "Iago, one of the best-written villains in English literature, constitutes the corrupting force that destroys the harmony of Othello's life and thereby creates the conflict that drives the play's plot (96)." Iago thrives on chaos and confusion and uses these elements to calculate how to ultimately destroy Othello and all others that cross his path throughout the play. Iago's power to manipulate is what drives him and ultimately makes his plans successful.
             The chaos in the play begins in the opening scene where Iago vows to take revenge against Othello for choosing Michael Cassio over him to be lieutenant. In the last scene of Act I, Iago manipulates Roderigo and convinces him to give him money by repeating the words, "put money in thy purse (Mowat and Werstine I.iii.386)." He convinces Roderigo that giving him his money and selling all his land will help him win back Desdemona. Iago sees Roderigo as another pawn in his game of chess and uses him in his plot to destroy Othello. In the last scene of Act I where Iago explains his plan in his soliloquy, he states,
             To get his place and to plume up my will/ In double knavery-How? how?-Let's see./ After some time, to abuse Othello's (ear)/ That he is too familiar with his wife./ He hath a person and a smooth dispose/ To be suspected, framed to make a woman false./ The Moor is of a free and open nature/ That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,/ And will as tenderly ...