▁to ▁tell ▁the ▁truth ▁about ▁I ago ' s ▁plot . ▁He ▁is ▁there ▁to ▁show ▁us ▁how ▁manip ulative ▁and ▁dece iving ▁I ago ▁can ▁be . ▁ ▁Perform ances ▁Based ▁on ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁O th ello ▁was ▁composed ▁in ▁near ▁proxim ity ▁chron olog ically ▁to ▁the ▁composition ▁of ▁Tw elf th ▁Night , ▁modern ▁interpre ters ▁of ▁R oder igo ▁sometimes ▁play ▁the ▁role ▁as ▁a ▁dim w it ▁in ▁the ▁manner ▁of ▁Andrew ▁Ag ue che ek ▁or ▁Ros enc rant z ▁and ▁Gu ild enst ern , ▁with ▁the ▁r ationale ▁being ▁all ▁four ▁roles ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁played ▁by ▁an ▁actor ▁in ▁Shakespeare ' s ▁company ▁special izing ▁in ▁fo pp ish ▁characters . ▁ ▁Robert ▁Co ote ▁played ▁R oder igo ▁in ▁Or son ▁W elles ' ▁ 1 9 5 2 ▁film . ▁The ▁production ▁was ▁fil med ▁over ▁a ▁three - year ▁period ▁and ▁was ▁ham per ed ▁by ▁its ▁Italian ▁back er ▁declaring ▁bank rupt cy ▁early ▁on ▁in ▁the ▁shoot . ▁As ▁a ▁result , ▁a ▁lack ▁of ▁cost umes ▁forced ▁R oder igo ' s ▁murder ▁to ▁be ▁st aged ▁in ▁a ▁Turkish ▁bath ▁with ▁the ▁perform ers ▁gar bed ▁in ▁large , ▁ra gg ed ▁to w els . ▁ ▁Other ▁film ▁interpre ters ▁of ▁the ▁role ▁include ▁Ferdinand ▁von ▁Al ten ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 2 ▁silent ▁version ▁st arring ▁Emil ▁J ann ings , ▁Robert ▁Lang ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 5 ▁version ▁st