Iago's Betrayal In Othello

In Shakespeare's Othello betrayal is one of the most important motifs. The plot of this play is centered around the idea of Iago’s betrayals. Throughout the story Iago puppets his friends and family in an attempt to gain his desires. In accordance to his plan he betrays his friends and family creating a chain reaction causing them to leave their beliefs. However, Iago’s plan fails and leads to the downfall of many of the characters. As the plot continues to develop, betrayal is one of the key elements contributing towards the plays overall meaning.
While the audience knew about Iago’s intentions, the other characters did not understand them until the end. One would expect that his friends and family would eventually catch on to his trickery.