Personal Honesty In Othello

Throughout Shakespeare’s Othello, the villainous character, Iago, is referred to as “honest” up to fourteen times throughout the play by its main characters The term is said by multiple characters throughout the play- including Othello, Cassio, Desdemona, and Iago himself- with Othello stating it the most. The term is clearly ironic because Iago is the complete opposite of honest. As the arch-villain, he lies, manipulates, and betrays others with his words and actions throughout the play. At times, it refers to chastity, the question of whether a woman is "honest" or whether she is promiscuous. At other times, the word refers to personal honesty, whether or not a person is telling the truth. It can also refer to whether or not a person is a

Iago becomes the symbol of chaos and anarchy throughout the course of the story, for he lies and makes things up simply to just cause problems amongst the main characters. Through his devious ways, Iago convinces everyone to believe he is honest and trustworthy. Characters such as Othello, Cassio, Desdemona, and even Iago himself give him the title of being “honest,” which is a part of the irony in the story. Iago referring to himself as honest just helps his case with making everyone believe his words and to not question them. This element of the story communicates the message that it is necessary to not always believe everything one hears- and the question of doubt that comes with hearing only one side of the story. Convincing everyone to believe him was a part of Iago’s plan to cause strife and chaos between Othello, Desdemona, and Cassio- and telling them each different stories helps teach the readers that everything is not always what it seems. It is always smart to think things through before believing the accusations against someone. The main characters in Othello failed to question anything Iago said simply because they were gullible with his “honesty,” and it ultimately lead to their own demise- which is why the overuse of the term is so ironic in the story.

Iago being referred to as “honest” over twenty times in Othello can be seen as a message that Shakespeare was trying to send to his audience and readers. Shakespeare was trying to convey the idea that everything is usually not what it seems, and how it is ideal to question the things one hears before jumping to conclusions. He communicates this message through the brainwashing of Othello, Othello reassuring himself, and the demise of the main characters at the end of the