Compare and contrast the characters of Othello and Iago, with reference to Act 1 of "Othello"

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Compare and contrast the characters of Othello and Iago, with reference to Act 1 of "Othello"

Othello and Iago are different in their characters as well as in their colours. It could be said also, however, that they are similar because of their fallibility. Iago is overcome with his desire for revenge to such an extent that he puts it into action. Othello's love and possessiveness of Desdemona take over him until he eventually would rather kill her than allow anyone else to have her. In this way, despite their contrasts, Iago and Othello both represent the extremity of the same thing - human emotion.

Both characters can be viewed like this throughout Act 1. We immediately see Iago as representative of the very basest elements of humanity. He uses crude language. He swears:

"S'blood";

"Zounds";

and uses crude sexual and animal images to taunt Brabantio:

"an old black ram is tupping your white ewe"

By using the agricultural term for breeding or mating two beasts, Iago reduces the act of love to a basic action. Othello, in contrast, uses gentle and tender terms to describe his affection, and never