William Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, is a depiction of the Venetian general's spiraling fall as he falls victim to the destructive consequences of another man's envy. The story is ultimately fueled by the vengeful nature of the antagonist, Iago, as he attempts to get revenge on Othello for promoting another man as his lieutenant. It is suggested that, prior to the story, Iago was an honest and trustworthy character; however, with feelings of degradation and even humiliation, Iago transforms his seemingly "good" characteristics and resources, such as intuition, perception, and cunning, into instruments of evil and betrayal. The antagonist acts like a puppet master as he invents circumstances and situations, allowing him to simply plant misunderstood ideas in the minds of other characters. Ultimately, Iago's jealousy and concern for revenge ignite the conflict and push the characters to their downfall. Before the play, Othello had promoted Michael Cassio to the position of his lieutenant, bypassing Iago. Other than this action, there is very little that explains Iago's hatred for Othello or his motivations, showing that Iago essentially destroys the other characters for no real purpose. For example, although Iago has made it clear that he is angry that Othello has chosen Cassio for promotion, he later says, "And it is thought abroad, that between my sheets / Hath done my office: I know not whether it be true" ( I.iii.1023). In other words, Iago believes that Othello is having an affair with his wife Emilia, even though he cannot be sure. Iago does not appear to have a credible or tangible motive, but rather some incoherent excuses that he uses to justify his actions to the audience. In fact, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge described it as a… medium of paper… On literature. Ed. RA Foakes. Volume 2. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1987. Print.Foster, Edward E. “Othello, by William Shakespeare.” Main plots. Ed. Frank N. Magill. vol. 8. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem, 1976. 4431-435. Print.Poulson, Chris, Joseph Duncan and Michelle Massie. "Othello." Google Books. Ed. Philip C. Kolin. Routledge, 11 January 2013. Web. 16 April 2014. Central Psychiatric Staff. "Symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder." PsychCentral.com. Ed. John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Psych Central, February 5, 2014. Web. April 20, 2014. Shakespeare, William. "Othello." Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Boston, MA: Pearson, 2012. 1002-102. Press.