--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A character I would love to play is Iago…" description: "\"A character I would love to play is Iago, from Othello.\" — Tim Roth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/tim-roth-16268_character_a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago_3090050.png" --- # A character I would love to play is Iago, from Othello. ![“A character I would love to play is Iago, from Othello.” quote by Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/tim-roth-16268_character_a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago_3090050.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/tim-roth-16268_character_a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago_3090050.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/tim-roth-16268_character_a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago_3090050.png) > “A character I would love to play is Iago, from Othello.” [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Playing complex villains like Iago offers a chance to explore human darkness and ambition. **In simple terms:** Villains reveal deep human motives. Key Takeaway Embrace challenging roles to grow. Themes theatre character study ambition Mood analytical curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - stage productions - film auditions - acting workshops - character analysis Key Concepts literature psychology Questions to Reflect On - What draws you to morally ambiguous characters? - How do you separate self from role? A Different Perspective Playing evil can affect personal psyche if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Iago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iago/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Othello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/othello/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) ## Related quotes > [I've done 'Two Gentlemen of Verona,' I've understudied Iago in 'Othello.' I've done Mercutio in 'Romeo and Juliet.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-englund/i-ve-done-two-gentlemen-of-verona-i-ve-understudied-iago-in-othello-i/) [Robert Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-englund/) > [When I was in high school, the drama teacher picked me to play Iago in 'Othello.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-perry/when-i-was-in-high-school-the-drama-teacher-picked-me-to-play-iago-in/) [Jeff Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-perry/) > [I'd like to do more Shakespeare. I'd like to do Iago in Othello. I look so benign. It would be interesting to see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-maclachlan/i-d-like-to-do-more-shakespeare-i-d-like-to-do-iago-in-othello-i-look/) [Kyle MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-maclachlan/) > [“You are a villain!" Iago: "You are a senator!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/you-are-a-villain-iago-you-are-a-senator/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Love he hates, hatred he loves! Iago, the Mephistopheles!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/md-ziaul-haque/love-he-hates-hatred-he-loves-iago-the-mephistopheles/) [Md. Ziaul Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/md-ziaul-haque/) > [ “The English letter ‘O’ is similar to zero (0) in appearance. Iago’s \[I am Ego = ‘I’ ‘a’m e‘go’\] name starts with an egoistic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/md-ziaul-haque/the-english-letter-o-is-similar-to-zero-0-in-appearance-iago-s-i-am/) [Md. Ziaul Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/md-ziaul-haque/) > [“With her? IAGO With her, on her, what you will. OTHELLO Lie with her! lie on her!—We say lie on her when they belie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/with-her-iago-with-her-on-her-what-you-will-othello-lie-with-her-lie/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“For when my outward action doth demonstrate The native act and figure of my heart In complement extern 'tis not long after But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/for-when-my-outward-action-doth-demonstrate-the-native-act-and-figure/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Iago is the dominant trance state of our planet. It influences our relationships, our sexuality, our parenting, and our attempts to relax. It permeates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjuna-ardagh/iago-is-the-dominant-trance-state-of-our-planet-it-influences-our/) [Arjuna Ardagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjuna-ardagh/) > [“Shakespeare's Iago could be played as a soul in hell, driven, dark and desperate, willing to do anything, willing to use anyone, in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-lee-guhrke/shakespeare-s-iago-could-be-played-as-a-soul-in-hell-driven-dark-and/) [Laura Lee Guhrke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-lee-guhrke/) > [IAGO: She that was ever fair and never proud, Had tongue at will and yet was never loud, Never lack'd gold and yet went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/iago-she-that-was-ever-fair-and-never-proud-had-tongue-at-will-and/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Coleridge’s description of Iago’s actions as "motiveless malignancy" applies in some degree to all the Shakespearian villains. The adjective motiveless means, firstly, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/coleridge-s-description-of-iago-s-actions-as-motiveless-malignancy/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“Iago’s treatment of Othello conforms to Bacon’s definition of scientific enquiry as putting Nature to the Question. If a member of the audience were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/iago-s-treatment-of-othello-conforms-to-bacon-s-definition-of/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) > [“if I were the Moor I wouldn't want to be Iago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-i-were-the-moor-i-wouldn-t-want-to-be-iago/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“As his wife, Emilia must know Iago better than anybody else. She does not know, any more than the others, that he is malevolent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/as-his-wife-emilia-must-know-iago-better-than-anybody-else-she-does/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) ## More by Tim Roth > [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [Well, I think first it was rare for me to do anything that had any kind of a romantic note to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/well-i-think-first-it-was-rare-for-me-to-do-anything-that-had-any/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [I get invited to an awful lot of Jewish functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/i-get-invited-to-an-awful-lot-of-jewish-functions/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [My dad was a Communist Party member who fought for his country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/my-dad-was-a-communist-party-member-who-fought-for-his-country/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [A good part of why I never went back to England was part of that, I didn't want to be in those sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/a-good-part-of-why-i-never-went-back-to-england-was-part-of-that-i/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [I will watch everything that Cary Grant did, or Kubrick made or Bergman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/i-will-watch-everything-that-cary-grant-did-or-kubrick-made-or-bergman/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [I miss my family, and I like being a tourist when I go back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/i-miss-my-family-and-i-like-being-a-tourist-when-i-go-back/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [Bring back dueling, I say. Drive-by sword fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/bring-back-dueling-i-say-drive-by-sword-fight/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [How would you compare Polanski or Kubrick? I try not to do any comparisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/how-would-you-compare-polanski-or-kubrick-i-try-not-to-do-any/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [I'm sick of very white teeth and lots of gymnasium practice. I'm bored, you know, send in the next one. I wanted a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/i-m-sick-of-very-white-teeth-and-lots-of-gymnasium-practice-i-m-bored/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [If you meet somebody who's spent any length of time in prison, you don't let your guard down. Ever. And really, that's what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/if-you-meet-somebody-who-s-spent-any-length-of-time-in-prison-you-don/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [The first role I ever did... I played a Nazi skinhead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/the-first-role-i-ever-did-i-played-a-nazi-skinhead/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [I love the idea of messing around with different mediums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/i-love-the-idea-of-messing-around-with-different-mediums/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [I'd seen musicians act, and it scares me. And they make more money than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/i-d-seen-musicians-act-and-it-scares-me-and-they-make-more-money-than/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [Television has changed. The very nature of it is not even television anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/television-has-changed-the-very-nature-of-it-is-not-even-television/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) [Explore all 40 Tim Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A character I would love to play is Iago, from Othello.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tim Roth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago-from-othello/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago-from-othello/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/tim-roth-16268_character_a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago_3090050.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/tim-roth-16268_character_a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago_3090050.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/tim-roth-16268_character_a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago_3090050.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A character I would love to play is Iago, from Othello.” — Tim Roth", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tim Roth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A character I would love to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago-from-othello/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/a-character-i-would-love-to-play-is-iago-from-othello/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```