The very beggining of the play is the battle between affections in the minor love triangle of Othello-Desdemona-Ricardo. The creation of alliances and the basic diplomacy takes place covertly, Iago is playing to Ricardo's hopes and fears; Ricardo wants to know that the undercover operations will pay off as promised in Desdemona's love for him. There are spies and tactical strikes, as well as backstabbings and treachery. War, in Othello, can be loosely defined as the absence of peace or order. In this sense, every act of Iago's is an act of War: waking Brabantio, Uriah Heeping whenever speaking to Othello, and then sinking the poison in throught the sugar: causing mayhem in the beautiful love between the Moor and Desdemona.
The tale of Othello the dark, rough warrior and Desemona the fair, cultured pearl of Venice is the classic story of the Lady and the Tramp. Not only is it poignant, it is the thorn in Iago's side. Everything that is as it should be must be twisted to suit him, and the happiness of the newlyweds is about to go onto the chopping block.
Iago's First Acts of War are exquisite, and often looked over. In fact, he does a crucial piece of work in the scene between Othello ad the Dukes, though he is not present. The Moor may have been accepted and respected as a warrior, but the Dukes of Venice all recognised that he wouldn't be a suitable match for a daughter of theirs. Iago, having set Brabantio hard against him, had merely to wait as Othello used his charms on the Council. After they reluctantly let the affair go to attend to state matters, Othello had used his eloquence card; it was spent. Mild resentment was sure to set in to the Venetians, as Iago (a very jealous man) knew well.
Iago's means of securing his desires are as different from Othello's methods as Waterloo from World War One; and the difference is just as devastating. Just as in the historical transistion from what war had used to mean to what it means now, Iago had a far better hand than Othello, and far fewer rules. Othello was as unprepared and unsuspecting of the new form of warfare as was Europe, and suffered the blows as heavily.
