At the beginning of the play, Othello, Iago professes his hatred for Othello, for giving the position of lieutenant to Cassio over himself. Shakespeare uses this hatred to show that Cassius is clearly favored in the army, because he is very inexperienced for promotion and is probably a smooth talker who others usually appreciate his presence. Cassio and Iago are characters in opposition to each other; a foil is a character who displays qualities that contrast with the qualities of another character with the goal of highlighting the other character's traits. Iago is highly motivated, devious and is the ringleader of trouble. In contrast, Cassio is respectful, polite towards women and sincere. William Shakespeare presents Cassio as an honest and respectful man to juxtapose the evil and vengeful Iago through characters contrasting duality. Cassius is shown to be an honest and intelligent man no matter who he is talking to. However, he is not afraid to stand up for himself and exercise this new power that Othello has given him. Specifically, Cassius makes an insult ...