Iago is Portrayed as the Greater Villain in Shakespeares...

â€Å"Othello† is a tragic play of jealousy, racism and struggle for power. Right from the beginning, Shakespeare has created vigorous dialogue and conflicting situations. There is a direct contrast between black and white in this play, with black meaning something negative and evil and white meaning pure and fairness. The clash between these two colours leads to severe hatred and enmity between a few people. Othello is a black army general in the service of the Venetian government. Iago is Othello’s standard bearer. I think that Iago is the greater villain. Right from the beginning, because of his vicious and offensive language, we are made aware that Iago is a negative and evil character. Iago says about Othello: â€Å"I hate the moor†.†¦show more content†¦Iago also talks about Venetian women in an insulting manner: â€Å"In Venice, they do let god see the pranks they dare not show their husbands.† This shows what kind of social background he has had and his low opinion of women. Iago also has a very low opinion of his wife who is also a Venetian woman. He thinks she has slept with both cassio and Othello: â€Å"It is thought abroad that the moor ‘twixt my sheets he’s done my office†/ â€Å"For I fear Cassio with my night cap too.† This goes to show that Iago is paranoid and insecure. This insecurity may be the reason he thinks of everyone in a negative light. Iago also uses derogatory terms like â€Å"guinea hen† and â€Å"a fig†. Iago’s language is indecent and shows the corruption of his mind. However, Othello has a very different culture and social background from Iago. Othello knows how to respect women and does not think lowly of them. His language is also powerful and dramatic and the language that he uses reflects his lofty ideals: â€Å"From year to year - the battles I have passed / the cannibals that each other eat.† Othellohas led an amusing life in the way that he has done and seen certain things that most people could only imagine. 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