Deception/ Appearance vs Reality

• Othello


  Simultaneously believes he is being deceived by characters who are honest while failing to see the deceit and treachery of characters who are tricking him
• Othello's view of Iago

  Refers to Iago as "honest" multiple times, showing that he is totally blind to the way Iago is tricking and manipulating him
• Othello: '"I know thou'rt full of love and honesty / And weigh'st thy words before thou giv'st them breath"'
• Othello's view of Desdemona


  Naively unable to see that Desdemona is being totally honest, stubbornly convinced that she is deceiving him
• Othello: '"this is a subtle whore / A closet lock and key of villainous secrets"'
• Othello makes up his mind that Desdemona is guilty


  All her claims of innocence only enrage him further
• Othello's inability to correctly identify who is and is not deceiving him makes him act rashly and ultimately lead to violence and tragedy
• Tragic plot of Othello

  Hinges on the ability of the villain, Iago, to mislead other characters, particularly Roderigo and Othello, by encouraging them to misinterpret what they see
• Othello


  Susceptible to Iago's ploys because he himself is so honest and straightforward
• Iago: '"the Moor is of a free and open nature/ That thinks men honest that but seem to be so; and will as tenderly be led by th' nose/ As asses are"'
• Unreliable reality in Othello

  • Language of the play refers to dreams, trances, and vision, constantly highlights the way in which what seems to be real may actually be fake
  • Shakespeare extends the theme of appearance vs. reality to include the art of playwriting and acting
• Iago's plot against Othello

  1. Creates scenes within scenes

  2. Sets up encounters between two characters and puts a third in the position of a spectator

  3. Manipulates Othello so that Othello sees the appearance that Iago wants him to see, rather than the reality of what is actually happening
• Iago


  • Becomes a kind of "director"
  • Directly addresses the audience through his many soliloquies
• Shakespeare draws attention to the way that a playwright and actors create an appearance onstage that tricks the audience into seeing something other than reality