And what’s he then that says I play the villain?
When this advice is free I give and honest,
Probal to thinking and indeed the course
To win the Moor again.
– William Shakespeare
Othello, Act 2, Scene 3. In one of his major soliloquys, the villainous Iago ironically challenges those who would claim that he is a villain. Defending advice he gave to Cassio to plead with Desdemona as being good honest counsel, he says it is the best way to win back Othello’s favor.