Appearance vs. Reality: Shakespeare's Othello

A theme that becomes apparent in the first three acts of William Shakespeare’s Othello is the idea of appearance versus reality. In these acts, it seems as though the way all the other characters view one character is the exact opposite of the truth. While Iago, the antagonist of the story, is constantly praised as an honorable man, Othello, the protagonist of the story, is often questioned or thought to be disgraceful. The separation between reality and the way things appear is what pushes the story forward. Because Iago wants to get rid of Othello, he decides to go about it by ruining the lives of multiple other characters. While in reality he is a good person, Cassio is made out to look like a raging drunk after Othello’s wife. To convince him of Cassio’s treachery, Iago says to Othello, “But such a handkerchief – I am sure it was your wife’s – did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with,” (Shakespeare, 1418). While everyone else is losing their trust in each other and the officers they had put their faith in, they remain in respect of honest Iago. However, behind it all, Iago is the one tearing everyone’s lives apart and manipulating their feelings and actions. In this play, the one person who is remains a respected person is the one person who does not deserve any respect at all.