Othello

Please help me determine the role of guilt in this play. 

Oh, such a good question!  The most common examination of guilt finds Iago to be the villian and, thus, the guilty one.  After all, he clearly manipulates the situation.  He lies, tricks, implies, and downright tricks Othello into believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful.

However, can we not also blame Othello for giving into these tricks, and for carrying his jealousy so far?  Othello's suicide at the end tells us we can, for he himself relieves his own guilt and is shamed by his actions.  It is his fear and paranoia that allow Iago to work on him so easily.  It is his jealousy that rushes him to avenge his hurt feelings rather than to rationally seek out truth and solution to this problem.  In my mind, he is just as guilty as Iago.