Iago and Honesty in Othello
Iago uses the word "honest" in act three of Othello in three primary ways. The first way he uses it is to mean honourable, about Cassio. He uses this meaning of the word to force Othello to doubt Cassio's honesty, and question his hounorablility. The second way is to mean faithful, both about Desdemona and Cassio. Iago uses it in the context that the two may be "truthful," again to make Othello doubt. The third way is Iago's most effective use, which is to use honest in the context to mean truthful, as in, he has told Othello the truth. However, Shakespeare has created tremendous dramatic irony, for we know that Iago is being anything except truthful. The three uses of the word honest are used largely in the subtext of the act, they are used by Iago to force Othello to question his wife's integrity, and honesty. Shakespeare uses the word by Iago to plant tremendous doubt in Othello's mind. The word is also used by Iago in the action line. His objective is constantly to make Othello think things without actually being told them, and Iago's parroting of the word and constant useage do this quite nicely.
Iago initially uses the word honest to mean honourable, in reference to Cassio. Othello has asked him if "he [Cassio] is not honest?" To which Iago parrots back "Honest my lord?" This usage is constant with what Othello means, whether Cassio is honourable or not. However, Iago uses the word to cast doubt on Othello. By parroting it back, he is making it seem to Othello that he does not want to answer the question, that he doesn't want to tell Othello something. This is seen in the subtext that Iago wishes to create. This use of it also contributes to Iago's objective, to...
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...o uses the word almost laughingly behind Othello's back, telling him that he has been driven to honesty, when he know that Iago is only telling Othello half truths. Shakespeare uses the word effectively to create dramatic irony.
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Iago, Othello’s ensign, and the villain of the play, performs his monstrous acts in a complex way by deceiving others to believe that he is honest and reliable while using this reputation to manipulate others. In this section, Iago says very little to deceive Othello into thinking that he has information that he would want to know. Iago’s clever use of silence and intimacy
“ O, that’s an honest fellow “, “You advise me well.... goodnight. honest Iago “ - “....that’s an honest fellow “ “ I know thou’rt full of love and honesty ”. Iago has everyone fooled into believing that he is a noble, honest man. Without this public perception of being honest he could never get Othello to believe that Desdemona was cheating on him. Othello would have probably killed him if he didn’t have the public perception.
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Iago, like Satan, has proved himself to be a master at deception. He lies to everyone taking great care to disguise his own thoughts. For example, in Act 1, scene 2, when he is speaking to Othello about his feelings toward Cassio, he uses very strong language of a manly soldier, while at the same time, he lies throughout the whole speech faking loyalty to a fellow soldier and all the while implying that he is reluctantly holding back the full truth: "I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth/ Than it should do offense to Michael Cassio" (I.ii.21-22). This deception impresses and convinces Othello that his ensign is a good and loyal soldier. Iago also succeeds in deceiving Cassio. After Cassio's drunken fight, Iago counsels him to speak to Desdimona about trying to convince Othello to reinstate him as lieutenant, all th...
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Without a doubt, one of the main themes that runs throughout William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello, is that of honesty. In the play, the most interesting character is Iago, who is commonly called and known as "Honest Iago." However, this could not be farther from the truth. Through some carefully thought-out words and actions, Iago is able to manipulate others to do things in a way that benefits and moves him closer to his own goals. He is smart and an expert at judging the characters of others. Because of this, Iago pushes everyone to their tragic end.
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.
The word “honesty” has been mentioned in Othello many times, each representing a different meaning of the word, the first use of the word is to describe chastity, the question of whether a women is honest or if she is loose. Iago uses his personal dishonesty to convince Othello that his wife is sexually dishonest, at the same time pretending to be looking out for his best interest, as...
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