Along with Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth, Othello is one of Shakespeares four great tragedies. Set against the backdrop of the late the 16th century wars between Venice and Turkey, what distinguishes Othello is the role of its villain, Iago.Iago is a character who essentially writes the plays main plot, plays a key role in it, and directs others, most notably the noble M Along with Hamlet, King Lear and Macbeth, Othello is one of Shakespeares four great tragedies. Set against the backdrop of the late the 16th century wars between Venice and Turkey, what distinguishes Othello is the role of its villain, Iago.Iago is a character who essentially writes the plays main plot, plays a key role in it, and directs others, most notably the noble Moor, Othello. Othello succumbs to Iagos machinations when he believes in the infidelity of his young and beautiful wife, Desdemona. Indeed, not only is seeing and the gap between appearance and reality a central theme of the play, it overlaps with and sheds light on other major thematic strands - trust, honour and reputation, patriarchy and the political state.