and Desdemona's marriage is an expedient one. They forego society's standard preparations for a wedding, not even asking Desdemona's father for his blessing. They do this because they know they will be denied permission, and Othello hopes his reputation will be enough to convince Desdemona's father of his worthiness.

Iago claims to hate Othello because Othello passed over him for a promotion in favor of Cassio. As the play progresses, Iago's complaints against Othello grow and change. Later, he will claim he hates Othello because he thinks Othello is sleeping with his wife, Emilia, for instance.

As for the reasons for the marriage of Othello and Desdemona, the two seem to love one another. Othello claims he loves Desdemona because when he told her the stories of his adventures and hard life, she felt compassion for him. He appreciates this tenderness. A more cynical reader might claim Othello is marrying Desdemona to get more of a foothold in Venetian society, since, as a Moor, he is an outsider; however, Othello's jealousy and his hesitation in eventually killing his wife suggest his affections are genuine.

As for changing values in the play itself, the sad thing is that society's values do not seem to change much. Othello is allowed to marry Desdemona because of his service to the state, but he is still viewed with distrust due to his race.