Othello - Battle of Good vs. Evil "I am not what I am." What is Iago? -- as distinct from what he pretends to be -- and what are his motives? In Shakespeare's, Othello, the reader is presented the classic battle between the deceitful forces of evil and the innocence of good. It are these forces of evil that ultimately lead to the breakdown of Othello, a noble venetian moor, well-known by the people of Venice as a honourable soldier and a worthy leader. Othello's breakdown results in the muder of his wife Desdemona. Desdemona is