Truth and Lies

The Theme in the Work

In scene 1 of Act I, Iago tells Roderigo that he is not what he is, and it is one of the few times he tells the truth about himself without a mask. In scene 3 of Act I, the Duke reminds us that to claim is not to prove, and Othello wins the Senate with a well-told story; Iago, alone, plans to exploit exactly the frankness of one who takes an honest man to be one who only seems to be. In scene 1 of Act II, he repeats the gesture in an aside, saying that the couple's harmony is as honest as he is, and no one but the audience hears it.

In scene 3 of Act III, Iago begins by echoing "honest?" and lets Othello fill the silence, although he already lies outright in a "Nothing, my lord" (l. 37), formulates the rule that a man should be what he seems and, when Othello demands ocular proof, lies outright with a dream that he himself recounts and with the handkerchief with which he says he saw Cassio wipe his beard. In scene 1 of Act IV, in the conversation of Cassio with Bianca, no one lies about their own subject: Cassio talks about Bianca, Bianca talks about the handkerchief, and it is Othello who changes the referent; Iago, for his part, lies outright when he says that Cassio confessed and that Desdemona gave the handkerchief to Cassio (ll. 30-35 and 181-184).

In scene 2 of Act V, the truth comes too late. Desdemona denies it to the end and, with her last breath, says it was she herself, protecting her husband, and Emilia chooses to speak against Iago's order and hands over the handkerchief, which dismantles the plot.

Iago tells the truth about himself in the first scene and repeats it in an aside, and he deceives first with echo and pause, then with outright lies: the dream, the handkerchief on Cassio's beard, the confession Cassio never made. The truth at the end serves to name the ruin, not to prevent it.

Where It Appears

• Scene 1 of Act I: Iago confesses to Roderigo that he serves Othello only out of convenience and closes with the formula "I am not what I am," that is, that he is not what he seems.
• Scene 3 of Act I: The Duke observes that to claim is not to prove, but Othello offers as his defense the account of his own life, and that story is enough for the Senate.
• Scene 1 of Act II: As Othello and Desdemona kiss, Iago says in an aside that he will loosen the strings of this melody, as honest as he is, and only the audience hears.
• Scene 3 of Act III: Iago repeats "Honest, my lord?" and lets Othello fill the silence; then, faced with the demand for ocular proof, he lies with a dream of Cassio's and a handkerchief seen on his beard.
• Scene 1 of Act IV: Iago lies outright when he tells Othello that Cassio has confessed and that Desdemona gave the handkerchief to Cassio, while Cassio talks only about Bianca and Othello alone changes the referent.
• Scene 2 of Act V: Desdemona denies the fault to the end and, with her last breath, spares her husband with "Nobody. I myself. Farewell." Emilia unmasks Iago by revealing that she gave him the handkerchief.

Passages

Iago tells the truth about himself, to Roderigo:

He repeats Othello's word and lets silence do its work:

Iago's proof is a dream that he recounts himself:

Emilia supplies the missing piece of the plot: