The Best Villian

Name
Instructor
Course
Date
The Best Villain
A well-developed villain is an essential character in any story, as he or she gives a hero a mission. Iago, from Shakespeare’s Othello, is among the best villains in literature. Iago is one of the best villains because he has his dreams, believes he is the good (guy) person, and he is smart, among other likable qualities.
Iago has a dream of rising through the ranks in the army. He has been with Othello on various missions and has learned a lot about being a good soldier. His dedication places him in the ideal position for promotion, but Othello chooses Cassio, a mere arithmetician for the job, which sets Iago against Othello (Shakespeare 1.1). Clearly, Othello is not as good as Iago in making decisions. Another motivation behind Iago’s actions is the belief that he is the good person fighting evil. Iago says, “He (Othello) has done my office” (Shakespeare 1.3). He means that Othello has slept with Iago’s wife. Therefore, Iago believes that by destroying Othello, he would be helping the society by getting rid of an adulterous man. By killing Desdemona, Othello also believes that he is doing the world a favor by getting rid of her.
Apart from well-developed motivation, Iago has many likable qualities. First, he is a clever person that tricks other characters into acting according to his plan, and he calls them credulous fools when they do (Shakespeare 4.1). Othello, on the other hand, is foolish and is easily tricked into killing his wife, Desdemona, which is Iago’s perfect way of destroying Othello’s life.

Concisely, Iago is one of the best villains in literature. His qualities make him stand out among Shakespeare’s villains. He has lucid dreams, believes his actions are for the wellbeing of the society, and has other attributes that make the audience love him more than Othello, the protagonist.

Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice. Fairfield, Iowa: 1st World Library, 2005