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Theme Of Appearance And Truth In Othello

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All that glitters is not gold
What you see it is not always what it seems to be. In the play, "Othello" appearance and truth play a major role of conflict between the characters. Iago is the complete opposite of the "honest" man he seems to be while Othello mindset only focuses on the outer appearance of a person. Othello's mindset is if a person looks or appear to be honest this one is trustworthy. Therefore, with him what you see is what you get.
Iago's plan is to use his good warrior reputation to destroy Cassio for getting a promotion, Othello for promoting Cassio and for suspecting him to have an affair with his wife and using Desdemona because it was the only way to get to Othello in order for him to accomplish his master plan. His plan …show more content…

Iago is tricky, deceitful, and egocentric. He utilizes these attributes to further reinforcing his good fortune by gradually arranging his own triumph while watching the end of others. He used Othello's trust to plot his demise by lying that his wife Desdemona and his good companion Cassio are having an affair. He keeps feeding Othello with opinions of what his observations are regarding Desdemona and Cassio behave towards each other. "I do beseech you / though I perchance am vicious in my guess, that your wisdom / From one that so imperfectly [conjects] / Would take you no notice, nor build yourself a trouble / out of his scattering and unsure observation" (III.iii.145-150). Here, psychologically Iago is telling Othello to use wisdom because he, himself have had suspicions that had created issues for where it did not exist he does not want the Moor to be like him. Or, in other words, he is lying. He wants Othello to reversely be suspicious by giving him fanciful pictures of the affair which will enrage him with jealousy and create other issues in his foyer. This is the only reason he is feeding him these …show more content…

As Desdemona is Othello's weakness, finding visual proof against her will be the best ingredient adding to the mixture of Iago's lies to push him to his limit. The Handkerchief which symbolizes purity and true love seeing Cassio having it, for Othello means giving his love away to someone else not even knowing how he gets to his possession. Also seeing Cassio talking to Iago and him placing Othello somewhere he can see but cannot hear, represent appearance which is his assumption of them talking about Desdemona but when in reality is they are having a conversation about Bianca. "She was here even now; She haunts me in every place / I was the other day talking on the sea-bank with certain Venetians, and thither comes the bauble, and [By this hand, she falls] thus about my neck-" (IV.i.131-136).From a distance place, it would seem that Cassio is talking sexually about Desdemona. In all actuality, Iago places Cassio in a position to discuss how awesome Bianca is so

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