Shakespeare's Othello should have been called Iago because Iago is by far the most interesting of all the main characters in the play, and the play seem to revolve around the consequences of Iago's lies and deceptions. The "honest Iago" is actually pure evil, and in the final scene of the play, he pushes everyone towards their tragic end, including the leading character Othello. Iago's opinion of himself is very high, he enjoy being evil, and seem to have his way in outwitting everyone to the very end. Iago is the kind of person who can lie without remorse and turn on the appearances of being funny and charming at the right moments. At the outset, Iago's official reason for his hatred of the Moor, Othello, comes from the fact that Othello passed over him in choosing a lieutenant. However, as the play rolls on, it becomes more apparent that there are other motives such as greed, jealousy, and the suspicion that Othello is sleeping with his wife. However, these are only excuses for his actions because his real contempt for Othello is motivated by bigotry. Although Iago knows how to hide his bigotry well, but the fact that Othello is black and is his superior annoys him to no end. This motivates him to go on a secret mission to destroy Othello, and various others who gets in the way. .
As mentioned above, one of the major reasons for Iago's hatred of Othello is due to being overlooked for promotion to the lieutenant. Whether it is valid or not, Iago truly believes that he is the most deserving person for the promotion. However, the promotion went to Cassio who, according to Iago, is only an arithmetician that has had no experience on the battle field: "That never set a squadron in the field,/Nor the division of a battle knows/More than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric,/Wherein the toged consuls can propose/As masterly as he. Mere prattle, without practice" (CITE). Iago further justifies his worthiness for the job by claiming that there were these three very important persons who, out of their own concerns, asked Othello to give Iago the job: "Three great ones of the city, / In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,.
