"My medicine, work! Thus credulous fools are caught,
And many worthy and chaste dames even thus,
All guiltless, meet reproach. What ho! My lord!"
Othello IV. i. 43-45
#9 Though Othello is the protagonist, the majority of soliloquies and asides are given to Iago. Why?
This play gives a different perspective to the traditional story and stage setup. Partly, I believe that Shakespeare wrote it in this form just to mix things up for once. I also believe he did this to show why and how the characters are so easily tricked. Iago is cunning, and his plans well thought out. This not only explains how they characters were tricked, but causes the audience to almost root for the antagonist. As humans we automatically side with clever, logical people because it is the most sensical thing to do. It is also easy to cheer for Iago because you feel close to him, almost like you are his confidant. Either way, Shakespeare obviously was presenting his audience with a new way to view characters, which makes the story entertaining, mysterious, and with opposing viewpoints.
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