Guild Wars 2

I really wish Scarlet had been more of an Iago character: just mean for the sake of being mean. No “fall”, no excuse, no slow descent, and no real motive other than just being exceptionally bitter and grumpy and wanting to take it out on the rest of the world.

Maybe that’s less satisfying for some people, but I don’t think that every antagonist needs to be a sympathetic figure.

Iago is not mean for the sake of being mean. He’s an incredibly complicated character with layers of hidden motives. His hatred of Othello is the most visible motive, but he is also very much driven by his own pride, jealousy, and role in the play. He is a meta-character within the play, filling both the roles of villain and playmaster (he speaks to the audience and has knowledge beyond his character.) Othello was the first of Shakespeare’s plays that he didn’t act in, and also one of the few without a proper narrator; Iago is a stand-in for both of those roles.

If that’s really your takeaway from Iago then you should read the play again.