Othello is serving as a US Army officer. He is from a respected Arab family. He is a West Point graduate and is a well decorated Persian Gulf War veteran. Nevertheless, he found that as a Muslim, his career track in the Pentagon was but a dead-end road. He thus took the position of commander of elite military forces. These elite forces are financed by an Arab-Jewish-Christian oil clique, and where one’s religion is no barrier at all. Iago is Othello’s ambitious aide-de-camp. He spent his whole military career by Othello’s side, and rightfully expects to be named his deputy. But the job goes to Cassio instead. A young and inexperienced diplomat recommended by the highest political circles. Iago justifiably feels double-crossed.
Othello is the family friend of senator Brady and his daughter Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona’s friendship grows into love, culminating in their marriage. A secret one too, because Othello is the last one to whom Brady would give his daughter’s hand. Especially because having a Muslim in the family wouldn’t secure him many votes in his native Texas. All of this plays right into Iago’s hand. That’s when Iago sets into motion his devilish plan. And he takes advantage of anybody who happens to be close by to fulfill it. The first is Roger Hamilton.
Roger is a slightly thick-witted heir to the Hamilton empire who pays for the entire mission in the Middle East. And he is mainly hopelessly in love with Desdemona. Iago uses this to his advantage, and commences his ingenious chess match, in which everybody around plays a role. In Geneva, where the entire drama begins by revealing Othello’s wedding, Iago is barely getting warmed up. The real fun starts with the move to the fortress Citadel in the Middle East. For a while it seems that Iago could be satisfied with the recalling and tarnishing of Cassio, which he elegantly orchestrated, but his taste was turning into a hunger. And Iago can no longer be satisfied by his naming as the leader’s second in command. He wants Othello’s position. And revenge to boot. One weapon that Othello cannot resist serves this purpose well. Jealousy. First so light, so smiling. Iago inconspicuously points out Desdemona and Cassio’s friendship and then, with the help of his eloquence and rigged pieces of „evidence“, he begins to turn the heat up. To ultimately turn Othello into an incompetent beast.
In the end, Iago on a frantic and breathtaking ride gradually rids himself of all witnesses and eventually triumphs. He is named the new commander.
Iago commits even his most atrocious acts with irresistible charm and elegance. The magic of the entire drama is found in the way he gets you on his side, and slowly makes you his co-conspirator. He lets you in on his plan step by step, and affords you a sense of perspective and keeping a step ahead in the action. You will follow with wonder along with him just how easy it is to raise suspicion and even easier to succumb to it. And how all our steps and motives are so easily predictable…
And finally Iago’s warning: BE VERY WARY, IT CAN EASILY HAPPEN TO YOU AS WELL. YOUR COLLEAGUE FROM WORK, YOUR NEIGHBOR, MAYBE THE ONE SITTING BESIDE YOU. ONE NEVER KNOWS…