Do we like them?

Do we like Iago?

A character from Othello (c. 1603)

Our score: 0 out of 10. No. He smiles, flatters and lies to everyone's face, and he wrecks lives over a grudge he can't even explain the same way twice.

Iago is an ensign serving under Othello, a respected Moorish general in the Venetian army. When Othello gives the lieutenant's job to Cassio instead of him, Iago is furious. Everyone around him still calls him 'honest Iago'.

He is one of Shakespeare's great schemers. He talks directly to the audience in soliloquies, so we see his mind at work while the other characters never do. He gives several different reasons for hating Othello, including the missed promotion and a rumour about his wife. Critics have long argued over whether any of them is real. Coleridge called it 'motiveless malignity'.

He is clever, patient and a gifted liar, and he understands what weaknesses people have and how to use them. That makes him compelling to watch, but he never shows loyalty, remorse or care for anyone. He gets a 0 because his skill is used only to cause harm.