Iago

American  

[ee-ah-goh] / iˈɑ goʊ /

noun

1. the villain in Shakespeare's Othello.

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Iago Cultural  

1. The treacherous villain in the play Othello, by William Shakespeare. As adviser to Othello, a general of Venice, Iago lies to his master and eventually drives him to murder his wife.

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Example Sentences

The production, helmed by the company’s artistic director, Eric Tucker, who also plays that malevolent master manipulator, Iago, matches the minimal cast with a scrappy, simple production.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

But then he enacts the scene in which Iago subtly poisons Othello’s mind into believing that his wife is having an affair with a handsome lieutenant.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026

On a negative note for Barca, De Jong was dismissed in stoppage time for a second yellow card as he trod on Iago Aspas' foot.

From Barron's • Nov. 9, 2025

Still, within his Jefferson lives a version of William Shakespeare’s Othello, another part Jones played to great acclaim with Christopher Plummer as his Iago.

From Salon • Sep. 12, 2024

Yes, even Iago was a little lamb too.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker