Iago

I thought it was very interesting when we were talking about Iago in class on Tuesday. His view about reputation, which we see when he is talking to Cassio(2.3.243), directly correlates with who he is as a character: what we see is not what we get. From the perspective of the other characters this is definitely true. Othello may believe that Iago is trying to help and watch out for him when in reality he is deceiving him. The way he appears on the outside does not match what he is thinking on the inside. We, the audience, are able to see his motives and his motives stem from trickery. Because we know his intentions and see the corresponding way he treats others without them knowing makes me suspicious of him. He does not seem like a good man at all. He stealthily plants thoughts and images into Othello’s head about Desdemona not being faithful. I know from experience that once something is in your head it can really skew your judgment. Little things will catch your attention and mislead you into making false assumptions. This is what Iago is purposefully doing without trying to look like a bad guy. He also uses Cassio to make Othello even more suspicious of Desdemona. But then he tells Othello that Cassio is a worthy friend (3.3.240). Iago as a character is hypocritical and is not to be trusted. It is frustrating to watch Iago trick others without them noticing when we know what he intends to do.