"I protest, in the sincerity of love and honest kindness." III.iii.295. What I really don't like about Iago is how he switches from iambic pentameter to common speech depending on to whom he is speaking. With Othello and women, it is always iambic pentameter to show either how smart he is, or to show off his education and "superiority" respectively. But then when he is speaking to Cassio it's like he's talking to a five year old. He's not trying to use big words (as if that's possible in Shakespearean writing) and he speaks in common language. He's doing everything he can to make himself as similar to Cassio or Othello so that they think he's on their side. Not to mention, the insincere tone he has is really annoying. The reader knows that he's a jerk, but the characters don't. Yet.

"She puts her tongue a little in her heart/ and chides without thinking" II.i.106-107. Iago is most definitely the antagonist. How he manipulates everyone around him, and how he acts towards women shows that. He's that kind of guy that when you're with him, he doesn't seem to bad. However, as soon as you realize that he's on every one's side, but in the end is really on his own team, you realize that he's a bad guy. But, to me at least, Othello doesn't seem like the protagonist. If anything, he'll be a sort of antihero in the end, and of course, die. I think that Cassio may end up being the real protagonist.

"Down with him thief!" I.i.57. This line is from the first scene of the first act of Othello. From the very beginning, it's easy to see that this is going to be a tragedy. To begin with, it's Shakespeare, so my prediction is that everyone will be dead in the end. Also, since the character that the play is named after is already getting in trouble, it's easy to see that he will be the main cause of conflict, but probably not by his own doing. Also, since it is a tragedy, there must be a bad guy, which is obviously Iago. I think that he might actually make it out alive, but I'm not completely sure. Also, since the first conflict is about Othello and Desdemona, they probably both die in the end.