Iago's Exceptional Villain

In stories, villains play a major part; they move the plot forward and without them, something feels missing. Among the ranks of villains, there are many different tiers of their abilities. There are the villains whose plots are easily foiled; whose minds are only focused on one thing and disregard anything else that could potentially be of use to them. Then there are villains whose plots are further meticulously planned, yet thwarted in the end. And finally, there are the villains who are perfect in every way. They are the ones who scheme and until the end of their nefarious acts, their position as the string puller is still unknown. Those villains are the perfect villains. Although he is an exceptional villain, Iago is not at the level of
One of the most important factors of being a perfect villain is maintaining a good relationship with other people. Although manipulation is proven useful, for certain situations, there are other tactics that should be used. No key fits every lock. However, Iago utilizes manipulation as his primary weapon and works with his two-faced act. His choice of using a two-faced act is quite useful for manipulating people and appealing to their characters. An example of this act is Iago’s use of the name “the Moor.” Iago never calls Othello “the Moor” in the general’s presence. However, in Act 1 Scene 3, Iago reveals that “[He hates] the Moore” and in front of other Venetians, Iago condescends Othello without refrain (1.3.429). This type of act that is suited to their character causes people to become more unguarded and thus more susceptible to manipulation. Iago utilizes this tool quite well—almost too well. As Iago confronts different people, he tailors his character to what Iago believes will give him the best result. A major flaw in this method of operation is if a tailored face for one person is shown to another, they would recognize the inconsistency and untrustworthiness of s Iago’s character. Had Othello seen Iago’s character suited for another man, Iago would have surely been doomed from that point on. Iago was intelligent enough to not show this side in front of most people, but this was not the case for all of his relationships. This is the case for Roderigo and he reveals this as he says: “〈Faith〉, I have heard too much, and your words and performances are no kin together” (4.2.13-14). Before this line, Roderigo overhears Iago’s tailored voice and character meant for another person. From this, Roderigo realizes that Iago is not who he thought Iago was and therefore threatens Iago. He believes that Iago had no intentions to help him win