Use Of Illusion And Hide Reality Plays A Heavy Role On...

The use of illusion to hide reality plays a heavy role in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello†. Illusion is used frequently throughout the play in relation to love, friendship and character personalities. Some characters, especially Othello, cannot see through the illusion and assume what they see as reality. Iago, however, uses this to his advantage by creating multiple illusions to manipulate the other characters for power and revenge. Iago is seen by most of the characters as an honest and trustworthy man who is always willing to listen and give advice. Cassio, one of the characters who is fooled by the illusionary personality Iago has created, says I never knew/ a Florentine more kind and honest (III.i.38-39). The audience however knows that this is not the case, since at the beginning he says â€Å"I am not what I am† (I.i.62), meaning that he has created an illusion of himself to fool others into believing he is trustworthy. Iago states â€Å"I follow him to serve my turn upon him† (I.i.39), meaning that he only pretends to be loyal to Othello, acting as a good servant so that when the opportunity arises, Othello will not suspect him of sabotaging his marriage. Throughout the entire play, he pretends to be Othello’s friend, feigning reluctance in voicing his suspicions about an affair between Desdemona and Cassio. He gains Othello’s trust by being a good friend who is honest enough t o tell him such horrible news. Iago creates the illusion of the affair by filling Othello’s mind