Throughout the first three acts of Othello, many characters, in addition to Iago himself, express Iago's reputation as a relentlessly honest man. In reality, Iago lies constantly, manipulates everyone around him, and turns characters like Othello, Cassio, and Desdemona against each other. He has them all fooled into believing his honest nature. Othello displays this early on when, preparing to leave for Cyprus, he says, "Honest Iago, my Desdemona must I leave to thee," (Shakespeare 1380). Othello believes Iago so honest, that he utilizes the adjective honest as an epithet and ascribes the attribute to his name. All the while, the audience of the play knows of Iago's true dishonesty from asides and thus the dramatic irony comes into play. Furthermore, in the third act, Iago describes himself as suffering from "foolish honesty and love" when he recounts to Othello a blatantly false story about Cassio speaking of Desdemona in his sleep (Shakespeare 1417). He has the audacity to proclaim himself honest while simultaneously telling a bold lie! The most explicit example of Othello's blindness to Iago's dishonesty comes earlier in the third act. Othello's words practically beg the audience to scream out in protest and inform him of Iago's true nature. Othello says, after Iago shows reluctance in explaining his thoughts on Cassio and Desdemona, "For such things in a false disloyal knave are tricks of custom, but in a man that's just they're close delations, working from the heart, that passion cannot rule," (Shakespeare 1408). Ignorantly, Othello believes Iago to be the just man when in reality he is the disloyal knave.
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