Iago's manipulation of honesty as the main driving factor

• AO1 - Iago

  • Iago uses his Machiavellian traits to use honesty, something imperative to Othello, as his machination against Othello
• A02 - Iago

  Repeats "Honest" after Othello speaks

  • Iago uses "honest" as a weapon to emphasise his villainy hidden through his facade
  • It is the initiating factor that causes the corrosion in Othello's mind; his marriage with Desdemona is based on honesty
• A02 - Iago

  Othello: "By heaven, he echoes me, as if there were some monster in his thought" (Act 3 Scene III)

  • Othello's dogmatic beliefs on honesty on truth mean he falls into Iago's trap, as he is convinced Iago's honesty is not letting him reveal the "monster"
  • For Othello, this is a sign of honesty, but ironic as the "monster" is trying to bring Othello down
• A02 - Iago

  Othello: "If thou dost love me/Show me thy thought"

  • Dramatic Irony as Iago does not love him
  • Othello's anxious tone shows that Iago's plan is being executed correctly, solidifying his manipulation
  • Also highlights the power shift, as Othello begs for the knowledge that he craves from Iago
• A02 - Iago

  Iago: "Men should be what they seem" (Act 3 Scene 3), juxtaposes his earlier claim that "I am not what I am" (Act 1 Scene 1)

  • Othello is falling for Iago's tricks and reinforces his 'honest' demeanour to fool Othello
  • The allusion to Exodus 3:14 is also enigmatic, but also highlights God negatively, portraying his diabolical figure
• A02 - Iago

  • Othello: "by the world...thou art not" (Act 3 Scene III)
  • The seeds of doubt are beginning to flourish and surface into his mind
  • The antithesis highlights the overwhelming feelings Othello is experiencing
  • Iago abuses dispositional tendency to be jealous, and by overriding his mind with it, he will deteriorate
• AO3

  • Male adultery was very common in Elizabethan times
  • Female adultery could have very violent consequences - A man who suspected his wife of infidelity could freely beat her with no legal recourse—unless he killed her.