How does Shakespeare establish the characters of Iago, Othello and Desdemona in Act I of 'Othello'? Anonymous 11th Grade

Shakespeare brings Othello with the audience being thrown into the middle of an argument between Iago and Roderigo. This opening leaves the reader mildly confused as they don't know what the argument is about for several lines. Only around 40 lines in is the "Moor" mentioned for the first time, although he has been the subject of their whole conversation. This is the first introduction we get of Othello, immediately showing his race to be his most prominent feature. Desdemona is introduced shortly after, defined only in relation to Othello. She is established as a pawn for Iago to get to Othello.

Right from the beginning, Iago comes off as a cunning manipulator. His first act is to get revenge on Othello for being promoted. We are told that Iago hates Othello but works for him regardless and so far, we only know one side of the story. His words describing Othello here are unkind, and this tells us as much about Iago's nature as it does about Othello. He is very precise in his word choice, using his language to manipulate those around him. What is striking about his speech is that whilst other characters usually speak in verse, he usually speaks in prose. This is a deliberate attempt from Shakespeare to show that he is less...