In William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, he uses duality and paradoxes to reveal parts of human nature that people wish to ignore. The play is about man named Othello who marries above his station and wrestles with his own insecurities. Playing on his insecurities, Iago, the antagonist, uses Othello’s love for his wife, Desdemona, and his own reputation for honesty as mean to enact his revenge for Othello’s alleged affair with his wife, Emelia. Honest to a fault, Iago embodies the paradox of a truthful man who is an even more cunning manipulator because of it, which contradicts a core human idea that honest people are the most righteous or virtuous.
Iago rightfully earns his reputation for honesty by being honest in the face of consequences …show more content…
Using his honesty as a weapon, Iago replies to Othello asking him what he meant by saying “Ha!” as he sees Cassio with Desdemona, by saying, “Nothing, my lord; or if—I know not what,” (III.III.39). By literally saying “nothing,” Iago casts doubt upon Cassio’s interaction with Desdemona almost forcing Othello, who has a very hard time trusting people, to ask his honest friend what he thinks is going on. Waiting until Othello thinks it is his own idea to ask Iago what is going on, Iago says, “Cassio, my lord! No, sure, I cannot think it/That he would steal away so guiltylike,/Seeing you coming,” (III.III.41-43). Through his candid diction, Iago enables himself to plant a seed of doubt in Othello’s mind by saying, “No, sure, I cannot think it” and then going on to say, “That he would steal away so guiltylike/Seeing you coming,” which is truth at its core as Iago does not believe this, but it casts doubt on Desdemona and Cassio. Cunningly, Iago uses his reputation for honesty, a synonym for morality, as means to achieve his manipulation and serves as a paradox because of
Iago rightfully earns his reputation for honesty by being honest in the face of consequences …show more content…
Using his honesty as a weapon, Iago replies to Othello asking him what he meant by saying “Ha!” as he sees Cassio with Desdemona, by saying, “Nothing, my lord; or if—I know not what,” (III.III.39). By literally saying “nothing,” Iago casts doubt upon Cassio’s interaction with Desdemona almost forcing Othello, who has a very hard time trusting people, to ask his honest friend what he thinks is going on. Waiting until Othello thinks it is his own idea to ask Iago what is going on, Iago says, “Cassio, my lord! No, sure, I cannot think it/That he would steal away so guiltylike,/Seeing you coming,” (III.III.41-43). Through his candid diction, Iago enables himself to plant a seed of doubt in Othello’s mind by saying, “No, sure, I cannot think it” and then going on to say, “That he would steal away so guiltylike/Seeing you coming,” which is truth at its core as Iago does not believe this, but it casts doubt on Desdemona and Cassio. Cunningly, Iago uses his reputation for honesty, a synonym for morality, as means to achieve his manipulation and serves as a paradox because of