Right from the first reading of Iago’s speech, the reader can get an initial impression about Iago, who is one of the most important characters of the play. Iago is explaining to Rodrigo the reasons why he hates Othello. Indeed the Moor has chosen Cassio as his Lieutenant while Iago has become only “his Moorship’s Ancient”. Such Othello’s decision is the turning point of the plot. Iago doesn’t agree with the decision since he believes himself to be better than Cassio from the military point of view. Iago’s self-esteem is underlined in the statement “I know my price, I am worth no worse a place”. On the other hand, he tries to belittle Cassio’s figure by saying: “Mere prattle without practice is all his soldiership”. Thus, Iago proves to be an ambitious man who is looking for acquiring power, reputation and worth. His exaggerated ambition leads him to be jealous of Cassio and everyone who occupies a higher position than him. In order to reach his aim, Iago damages his rivals and exalts himself using language in an intelligent way. Indeed his main skill is eloquence thanks to which he can convince other people and manipulate their minds.

Vocabulary:
Verse: writing that is arranged in lines, often with a regular rhythm or pattern of rhyme.
Prose: writing that is not poetry.
Meter: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Foot: a unit of rhythm in a line of poetry containing one stressed syllable and one or more syllables without stress.
Iambic Pentameter: is the most common metrical pattern in Shakespeare. Iamb= alternation of unstressed syllable and stressed syllable Pentameter=Lines of five iambic feet; 10 syllables
Blank Verse:Unrhymed iambic pentameter.
Free Verse:No regular meter.
Sonnet: a poem that has 14 lines, each containing 10 syllables, and a fixed pattern of rhyme.
Quatrain: a poem or verse of a poem that has four lines.
Couplet: two lines of poetry of equal length one after the other.
Aside: something that a character in a play says to the audience, but which the other characters on stage are not intended to hear.
Monologue: a long speech in a play spoken by one actor, especially when alone
Soliloquy: a speech in a play in which a character, who is alone on the stage, speaks his or her thoughts; the act of speaking thoughts in this way.
Allusion: something that is said or written that refers to or mentions another person or subject in an indirect way.
Foil: a person or thing that contrasts with, and therefore emphasizes, the qualities of another person or thing.
Tragedy: a serious play with a sad ending, especially one in which the man characters dies.
Tragic Hero: a person, especially a man, who is admired by many people for doing something brave or good. He is a good man, important to society. The hero suffers a fall brought about by something in his nature.The fall provokes the emotions of pity and fear in the reader. The tragic character comes to some kind of understanding or new recognition of what has happened.
Tragic Flaw: Defect of character that leads to the hero’s disastrous downfall.