"Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss" (III.iii.165-170)
These words spoken by Iago to Othello are both ironic and true because jealousy can tear a person apart and Iago can attest to that. It is a very ironic statement coming from Iago because the only reason why he is messing with Othello and Cassio is because of his uncontrollable jealousy. Jealousy, along with maniacal planning, and light and dark, are a few of the many themes of Othello
Iago never stops planning. At the end of nearly every act he is planning through his soliloquy what he is going to do next. He planned to plant the handkerchief in Cassio's room so that Desdemona and Cassio looked guilty (III.iii.322-325), and he managed to plan many other things like Cassio's fight that made Othello suspect him in the first place. Now Othello's life is being torn apart because everyone who he respects and trusts he can no longer keep his faith in them.
The theme of light and dark occurs often especially sinace Othello is a black man and everyone else seems to be white. There are multiple racial slurs that are backhandedly cruel to Othello and some are just how they speak. When Iago is speaking to Desdemona and Emilia, they reference ugly people as "black" and how they will find someone that is "white" (II.i.141-142).
The most important theme of all though is jealousy. There wouldn't be a story without Iago's planning but his jealousy is what takes its toll on him and the other characters.
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