Honest Iago
In Othello, the evilest of protagonists Iago, is able to make himself seem noble and honest by means of skillful manipulation of language. A puppeteer of the mind, Iago pulls the strings of each character, thus exploiting their weaknesses with an armory of verbal weapons. In his speeches he reveals himself to the audience to be a master of connotative and metaphoric language, provocative imagery, meaningful repetition, subtle hesitation--all wrapped together with hopes of executing his revengeful plot. What makes Iago is so influential is that he posses the attribute of being a great liar. With out any proof Iago can have those around him hanging on every last syllable.
Iago’s powerful persuasion techniques are awakened very early on in the play when Iago rouses Barbantio in the middle of the night carrying on about thieves. All Iago had to do was inform Barbantio of Othello and Desdemona’s elopement. In the evil realm of Iago, this was not an option. He needed to portray an attitude of grave disturbance so that he could worry Barbantio about Othello. Iago’s master plan was focused on destroying the Moor and he seized upon this opportunity to damage the Moor’s character with the concerned father-in-law. In this first speech Iago puts vivid imagery into Barbantio’s mind that disturbs him deeply, as it does any human. "Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul; Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.” Having your daughter elope is bad enough; however, the situation heightens immensely as a result of Iago’s verbal assault on Barbantio’s mind.