How does Shakespeare present Iago in Othello?

It is worth noting that this question can be argued in various ways, and as long as you give evidence for your answer you will be given credit in an exam. Shakespeare presents Iago as a 'malcontent', a character who has no obvious motivation for why he seems to go out of his way to disrupt the lives of other people. He uses innocent everyday objects such as a handkerchief to convince Othello of the infidelity of his wife, Desdemona; he rarely makes a blatant lie, but instead implies things and works on the natural tendencies of doubt and insecurities in Othello's mind. You could also consider whether Shakespeare presents Iago as a Machiavellian character in how he approaches causing the chaos that seems to be his goal; in an exam you would receive credit for mentioning the historical context of Machiavelli's treatise 'The Prince.'Despite his portrayal as an antagonist, it is easy for the audience to side with Iago for much of the play on account of his presentation as funny; this is especially due to the contrast between him and the comparatively slow-witted Roderigo.