Iago

[ ee-ah-goh ]

/ iˈɑ goʊ /

noun

the villain in Shakespeare's Othello.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for iago

For instance, Iago declares in Othello that, “Good wine is a good familiar creature, if it be well used.”
Is That a Bottle of Wine I See Before Me? The Delights of Drunk Shakespeare|Tom Teodorczuk|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2009, he played Iago, opposite John Ortiz as Othello, at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.
Philip Seymour Hoffman: An Actor First|Tim Teeman|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Iago is such a transfixing portrait of evil exactly because his motives are forever murky.
Senseless. Evil. Silver Linings. Our Misguided Terms of Terror.|William Giraldi|April 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
JI: There is a sort of Iago—someone who is up to some real trouble making—in the book.
John Irving's Favorite New Thriller|John Irving|March 25, 2010|DAILY BEAST

He is comparatively a straightforward character, as straightforward as the Iago of some critics.
Shakespearean Tragedy|A. C. Bradley
What a wicked-minded and remorseless Iago to have seen you doing Kitely night after night!
The Life of Charles Dickens, Vol. I-III, Complete|John Forster
I may add that Iago certainly cannot be taken to exemplify the popular Elizabethan idea of a disciple of Macchiavelli.
Shakespearean Tragedy|A. C. Bradley
The spectators are aware of Iago's villainy and know of Desdemona's innocence.
The Theory of the Theatre|Clayton Hamilton
I think it more naturally spoken by Othello, who, by dwelling so long upon the proof, encouraged Iago to enforce it.
Notes to Shakespeare, Volume III: The Tragedies|Samuel Johnson

Cultural definitions for iago

Iago

[ (ee-ah-goh) ]

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.