How many lines does Iago have in Shakespeare's Othello?
Iago has 1,097 lines in Othello, more than the title character himself. This makes him the most spoken role in the play despite being the antagonist.
Questions about Iago
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why does Iago hate Othello in Shakespeare's play?
Iago claims he was unfairly passed over for promotion to the rank of lieutenant in favour of Michael Cassio. Scholars debate whether this professional slight is the true motive or merely one thread in a more complex psychology.
Who first played Iago in Shakespeare's Othello?
The role is thought to have been first played by Robert Armin, an actor known for intelligent comic parts such as Touchstone in As You Like It and Feste in Twelfth Night.
What did Samuel Taylor Coleridge say about Iago's motives?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge described Iago as an exercise in "motiveless malignity," suggesting the character destroys others without any comprehensible underlying purpose.
What are Iago's last words in Othello?
Iago's final lines are: "Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word." He refuses to explain his actions at the moment of his arrest and keeps that silence.
How does Iago appear in Verdi's opera Otello?
In Giuseppe Verdi's Otello, an 1887 operatic adaptation, Iago delivers the Act 2 aria "Credo in un dio crudel," in which he declares belief in a cruel god who created him in his own image. This aria has no counterpart in Shakespeare's original text.