Do Not Judge A Book By It’s Cover Otello by William...

In many literary works there is a general idea that appearances may be deceiving and that not everything is the what it seems to be. Most writers use this idea to help create conflict within this story; among these writers is William Shakespeare. In one of his more popular plays, Othello, Shakespeare gave the character Iago a two sided personality. Iago pretends to be a friend of Othello by giving him helpful tips and advice; however, he is secretly trying to sabotage Othello’s marriage. He tricks Othello into thinking the worst about Cassio and that he is having an affair with Othello’s wife Desdemona. Throughout the tragic play of Othello, Shakespeare uses an ongoing theme of appearance versus reality to show how Iago manipulates each†¦show more content†¦As a token of his love, and the first gift Othello ever gave Desdemona, the handkerchief means a lot to Othello. It also symbolizes her loyalty to him; as long as Desdemona has the handkerchief he knows that she is pure. Iago knows this fact and tries to use it towards his advantage. When Desdemona drops the handkerchief on the floor her maid Emilia, Iago’s wife, picks it up and brings it to Iago. She knew that it had been something Iago had been dying to get his hands on for awhile. Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassio’s bedroom so that it would seem as if he had it from Desdemona. â€Å"I will in Cassio’s lodging lose this napkin / And let him find it. Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmations strong / As proofs of holy writ.† (Othello 3.3.322-325) Then Iago tells Othello that he had seen Cassio wiping his beard with it Desdemona’s handkerchief when Othello asks for proof of disloyalty. To Othello this shows that everything Iago had been telling him was right. Desdemona gave away the one thing that meant the most in their relationship and proved her infidelity. However, Othello does not know that Iago had planted the handkerchief wit h Cassio. He only knows half of the story, not everything is what it seems. Othello seems to get tricked into believing everything that Iago tells him. A major reason that Othello believes his wife is cheating on him is