The Evil Genius that is Iago

That Iago is "an agent of destruction," as Rory Kinnear describes, is certainly true.  But that phrasing doesn't quite do justice to the evil genius that Iago is.  The proud Othello has earned his lot in life via his military prowess and valor and his articulate, upstanding manner.  But his Achilles Heel frankly is that he is tone deaf.  He lacks the Emotional Intelligence to acknowledge where he is vulnerable and to discern what his seemingly faithful right hand man has a grievance about and is subtly scheming.  Like Adolf Hitler who had tremendous empathy for the German people, so does Iago have for Othello.  So, empathy being a crucial aspect in his machinations, Iago has doses of Emotional Intelligence that Othello lacks.  He hears what the latter is deaf to, and knows precisely where the latter is weak, and sets about to manipulate, with great patience and precision, just as Hitler did, his very target.  The tragedy of the play, at the end of the day, is that the resolution of Iago's grievance warrants nothing short of the discrediting, the dismantling, and ultimately the death of Othello.