Iago/Claudius

His bitter jealousy is first brought to light when Iago describes Othello's promotion of Cassio to Roderigo,.
             "For Certes," says he,.
             "I have already chose my officer." And what was.
             he?.
             Forsooth, a great arithmetician,.
             One Michael Cassio, a Florentine,.
             (A fellow almost damned in a fair wife).
             That never set a squadron in the field,.
             Nor the division of a battle knows.
             More than a spinster .
             Knowing that his argument is quite weak, considering the damage he does, Iago also adds that he suspects Othello of sleeping with his wife, Emilia, which is obviously untrue. A character far more complex than seems at first, there is more to Iago than meets the eye - making him a man who is not merely pure evil but rather a true villain in every respect of the word. One of the most fascinating qualities of Iago's character is that although he is driven by his motivation for revenge, the rationalization he uses to validate the damage he causes is utterly unconvincing, and the way he deceives those that perceive him as a friend is hypocritical. .
             Similarly hypocritical is Claudius. He has established a very cheerful court of admirers and as Phyllis Rackin observes .
             Hamlet's black clothing, no less than his bitter grief, associates him with the cold night of the opening scene in opposition to the spurious brightness and warmth of Claudius's court. .
             Outwardly, he is friendly and praises Hamlet openly, but inside he is scheming of ways to rid his kingdom of the prince. He demonstrates these ideas in his brief chat with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,.
             I like him not, nor stands it safe with us.
             To let his madness range. Therefore prepare you.
             I your commission will forthwith dispatch, .
             And he to England shall along with you. .
             He is clever in the way he presents his evil, through verbal trickery, to the courtiers and everyone around him in such a way that he seems good and generous. As Charles Norton Coe says in Demi-Devils: The Characters of Shakespeare's Villians,.