The most important feature of Iago is his permanent dissembling and his distortion of reality. This is the tool that he uses to deceive the others and to make them comply to his plan. Iago's permanent dissembling is very important for understanding the motivations behind his acts. Even from the first scene of Act I, Iago declares that he acts so as to reach his own goals, and he is not devoted to any other person or sentiment than to himself. Thus, as Iago emphasizes, he only dissembles that he "follows" Othello as a servant, but in fact, only follows himself and is only faithful to his own motivations. However, as it shall be seen, Iago can not be considered as a mere cold blooded and Machiavellic character that acts only...

Although his first motivation is to serve his own purposes and ensure his own comfort and pleasure, Shakespeare actually lets the reader see that Iago is motivated by his own passions, and most of all by jealousy, in his actions. A hint in the play that corroborates this assumption is the fact that Iago's manipulation of the other characters seems to spring from his own knowledge of the passions that impulse them.
Iago is also a great manipulator since he enjoys toying with the others' feelings. He is not content with merely killing Othello for instance, or Cassio to soothe his jealousy and his desire for revenge. Had he been moved solely by unrestrained hatred, Othello