I chose this picture because it reminds me of Iago. Othello is to blame for a majority of the events that occurred in his tragedy. However, none of it would be possible were it not for the deceptive Iago. It took Iago’s ability to lie to others for the entire plan to work. His deceptive nature is shown when Iago says “Thus do i ever make my fool my purse” (1.3.426). This shows that Iago has fooled Roderigo into thinking that he is helping. Iago has to manage many different “masks” so that he can convince everyone else to work for him. He convinces Cassio to drink, Roderigo to irritate Cassio, and Othello to murder Desdemona. This picture reminds me of him because the man in the picture is holding two masks. These masks represent the different personalities Iago must take to control others and hide his true self. The man in the picture has masks that he switches out. These masks are symbolic of how a person can change themselves, if needed, to fool others. The mask disguises the person so that others cannot see his intentions. Just like the man with the masks, Iago changes his character so that no one can see his intentions. Iago manages to fool everyone, including his wife, into thinking that he his there for their benefit. Othello’s gullible character would not have been such a problem were it not for the existence of Iago. Iago was the mastermind that brought Othello’s world crashing down on him. The ending of the story is equally Iago’s fault as it is Othello’s.
