Othello Essay: I Am Not What I Am (Analysis of the quote "I am not what I am" in the essay of Othello by William Shakespeare).

In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, the main villain, Iago, says many things hinting that he is not who he appears to be on the outside. Iago seems to be calm and kind, warm-hearted and loyal: many even call him "honest Iago," but there is a sting of irony to this -- Iago isn't honest at all. It is just a facade, put on to fool those around him into trusting him and letting …

…Iago really is clever, but horridly diabolical, and the way he works Roderigo to get his money, Othello to get him to kill his wife, Cassio to drink, and Emilia to steal the handkerchief is not only evil -- it's subtle. And that makes it all the worse. Rather than use his ingenious to bring about something good, he uses it for ill, and thus brings about his own -- and everybody else's -- downfall.