By the conclusion of Act One the main characters in Shakespeare's Othello have revealed their distinctive personality traits and their natures. Although Othello is absent at the beginning of Act One, both the manner in which others refer to him and his conduct in Scene Three lead us to believe he is a commanding presence, who has an incredibly controlled demeanour. Desdemona in contrast is perceived to have a weak and pliant nature while she clearly has defiant spirit as well. Unlike Othello, Iago thrives on control, which he obtains through the use of his extraordinary manipulative skills. He employs this skill liberally but his motives at this point remain unclear. Roderigo is the antithesis of Iago. He is weak willed and gullible, and as a result of these traits is utterly exploited. The evidence in Act One suggests that the main concern of the play is that...