Othello: Characters

"IAGO: Oh, sir, content you,
I follow him to serve my turn upon him
We cannot all be masters, nor all masters
Cannot be truly followed."
pg. 1363

The protagonist of Othello, the Moor of Venice is Othello himself. Depicted as war hero and a crusader that has triumphed over discrimination, he represents the noble and likable character in the story. The only fault found against him are stories like those that claim he kidnaps women or sleeps with the wives of other men; however, these are either false or have not been proven valid. The character who has taken the most obvious role in the story is Iago. He is the antagonist. No matter what Othello does, he is sure to try to ruin it for his own pride and grudge against the man. Because Othello chose to promote Cassio to office and not him, Iago is set against him and tries to ruin his life by any means possible, even the deceit of others. Minor characters such as the Duke serve to move the plot forward. He ends the dispute between Brabantio and Othello, and in turn, gives Iago an idea on how to get revenge upon Othello. Without both major and minor characters and those representing good and bad, the story would lack intrigue and appeal. The plot consists because of these contrasting characters.