Acts 1 and 2, Question on Iago

Is Iago fueled by vengeance as a motive (because he was not promoted or because Othello slept with Emilia) or is he simply fueled by the desire to cause destruction?

Othello - The Moor

There have been many different portrayals of Othello by both actors and artists.
A notable example would be Laurence Fishburne's portrayal of the character in the 1995 film Othello. Fishburne is quite clearly not of Moorish descent but rather of African-American. This, however, still served its purpose in the movie to demonstrate the attitude towards moors within the play. An African-American actor was perhaps chosen as in 1995 as racial discrimination towards African-Americans was a hot topic at the time and audiences could relate to the themes of discrimination present in the play.

Personally, I believe these are better portrayals of what Othello would have looked like had he existed.
Othello's race is more accurately portrayed in these pictures.

Moors

Moor noun
1. One of the Muslim people of north Africa; of mixed Arab and Berber descent; converted to Islam in the 8th century; conqueror of Spain in the 8th century

In 1492, the Moors were defeated in battle and lost the city of Granada, the last remaining city that they possessed. This lead to Moors having no specific homeland or territory, they therefor lived throughout Europe, in some places hidingtheir identities and in other places battling for land.

Moors are traditionally associated with the religion of Islam. They were often a minority race in a variety of cities around Europe and often experience racial prejudice.

Cyprus

Cyprus is a small island country located in the Mediterranean Ocean, South of Turkey.
In the late 15th Century, the island was seized by Venice. The country was then run by Venician rule until the late 15th Century when the nation was invaded by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire had tried in vein many times to seize Cyprus before they were successful.

Venice

Venice is a city in Northern Italy that is famous for its network of canals running through the city and the impressive architecture which has been preserved in the city since the 18th century.

The 16th Century was right in the middle of the Renaissance Era, which was a prominent movement in Italy as well as many other European countries. Venice during the 16th century would have been thriving with culture, with new artists and art works, new styles of building and architecture and groundbreaking developments in music. There was also a darker side, however, to life in Venice in the 16th Century. Between 1575 and 1577 the Black Plague hit Venice as is spread across Europe. This is an example of the poor levels of cleanliness and hygiene in Europe during the 16th Century.

Here is a map showing Venice's position in Italy.