Othello: Act IV: Character Development

       Thus far in Shakespeare's play Othello, Iago has been portrayed as an inherently evil man. The level of his evilness is still being developed in Act IV.  This development deepens in the ways Iago expresses his hatred for Othello.  His plan seems to be just to ruin Othello's life.  He slyly convinces Othello to kill Desdemona in a different manner.  The Way Iago suggests blatantly points to Othello as the murderer.

" 'Get me some poison, Iago, this night.  I'll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again.  This night, Iago.'

' Do it not with poison, strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated',"  (IV. i. 188-192).

If Othello stuck with his idea of poison it would be harder to trace the poison back to him.  The new plan of strangling Desdemona makes Othello the only suspect.  Iago secretly sneaks this new way of ruining Othello's life into what Othello believes as a better way of killing Desdemona.