“I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at. I am not what I am.”
Iago – Act 1, Scene 1
Iago openly admits his entire identity is built on pretending to be something he is not.
“I must show out a flag and sign of love, which is indeed but sign.”
Iago – Act 1, Scene 1
He plans to display fake loyalty to Othello while secretly working against him.
“Thus do I ever make my fool my purse.”
Iago – Act 1, Scene 3
Iago boasts about using Roderigo’s trust and love for Desdemona to milk him for money.
“And what’s he then that says I play the villain, when this advice is free I give and honest?”
Iago – Act 2, Scene 3
He convinces himself that dressing up his schemes as “honest advice” hides his villainy.
“This honest creature doubtless sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds.”
Othello – Act 3, Scene 3
Othello’s trust in “honest Iago” shows how effective Iago’s deception has been.