Analysis of Iago Character in Shakespeare's "Othello"

The early scenes of "Othello" establish Iago's character and allow the audience to learn of his nature. He plays two different people, the disguise of the trusty and loyal ensign and the one whom hides behind this disguise. Act One, Scene One is the most important because it foreshadows the whole drama. Iago is young and treacherous, a scoundrel from the start of the play. In "Othello", Shakespeare makes the audience aware of the notion …

…when it is indeed he who is responsible for the mess Othello is about to be in. Iago causes most of the conflicts for Othello, and he is ironically the one to warn him about it. From the first few scenes of "Othello", we learn that Iago is a heartless snake, who mixes lies with truth to achieve what he wants. He stays underneath a mask which hides his true, evil nature from the world.