Dishonesty And Deception In Shakespeare's Othello

In Othello, a play surrounded by dishonesty and deception, the tragic hero Othello finds himself confronting countless struggles in which he must discern truths from perceived realities. The irony present is that in the later stages of the play, he does not confront them at all; he instead relies on a single source of information and never involves himself in discovering the truth. The playwright William Shakespeare explores the actions made by Othello who is faced with many issues such as jealousy and unfaithfulness which, unbeknownst to him, mainly derive from Iago. Shakespeare highlights the issue of individuals encountering conflict between the absolute truth and perceived reality, and as a result, may choose to confront it or abandon the

This is because they are able to maintain an honest outlook towards their situation regardless of external perception, and thus are confident in their own credence. Othello, who is described to be a “moor”, is a dark-skinned man whose ethnicity originates from foreign lands. He is able to understand why people despise him for his color and strives for his own excellence regardless. Othello is a general within the Venetian society, who rose up the ranks due to his military might. His ability to accomplish his own goals and interests is an example of how individuals can stay true to one’s beliefs and values despite being looked down upon. He “love[s] the gentle Desdemona”(18), which is a direct suggestion that he is attempting to go against the assumptions other characters may hold against him and follow his own desires. The reality that characters generally hold associating with Othello does not determine his actions in the initial stages of the play; he marries Desdemona who is white and of noble blood, which other characters see as unsightly and abnormal. In the face of Iago suspecting Desdemona involving herself in unfaithful acts, Othello’s confidence that he “[does] not think Dedemona’s but honest”(148) is a clear indication of his trust and faith in Desdemona regardless of Iago’s suspicions that she is unfaithful. This demonstrates multiple

Whatever decision they make may impact how the accuser views the accused, and is dependent on whether the accuser chooses to be honest or not. This correlates significantly with Othello and his rash behavior toward Desdemona, which he believes is responsible for committing unforgivable acts. Near the end of the novel, Othello is incredibly angry and emotional which convinces him to conclude that Desdemona must die for her impurity. Even when she states “No, by my life and soul!” (274) that she is honest and faithful, Othello remains unmoved and further accuses her of adultery. This is because he has been convinced, both by himself and Iago, that she is unfaithful and he has integrated this into his actions. He no longer has the same sense of honesty he once had at the beginning of the play; rather, he accuses without proper evidence even while attempting to strangle Desdemona. Without Iago subtly convincing him of her debauchery, Othello would still remain the calm and honorable individual he was in the initial acts. This is linked back to the idea that individuals who seek the truth will be blinded by perceived realities imposed upon them by external factors, and are unable to find their own optimistic views as a result. By forcing individuals to be unable to distinguish between the truth one holds and the truth someone else holds, they