Iago to be his close friend and advisor; "I think thou dost [love Othello], and for I know thourt full of love and honesty and weighst thy words before thou givest them breath." [Act III, Scene III, Line 119] He believes Iago to be a person, "of exceeding honesty, and knows all qualities, with learned spirit of human dealings" [Act III, Scene III, Line 259] Unfortunately Othello does not know how truly he speaks. Iago uses the trust Othello puts in him to turn Othello against his beloved wife and lieutenant. How can no one see through Iagos mask? The answer -- Emilia can. Iago's wife, Emilia, is the one who eventually unravels her husband's plan. After Othello strikes Desdemona, Emilia unwittingly describes her husband as the cause of Othello's anger; "I will be hanged if some eternal villain, some busy and insinuating rogue, some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, have not devised this slander; I'll be hanged else." [Act IV, Scene 2, Line 130] And Iagos answer to that "Fie, there is no such man, it is impossible"! [Line 134] Emilia gives Iago's plot away. Emilia, now an obstacle and a nuisance, is killed by Iago for practical reasons. She serves no purpose to him anymore and now she can only hurt his chances of keeping his position as lieutenant. Like the symbolic chess pieces in the film version, Iago manipulates the pieces toward an end. He uses skill and knowledge of the nature of things to play a game and win. He does not make each move with conscious reason, only to win the game; thus Iago is motiveless at each step. He is like a child who only enjoys tumbling down the blocks of other children; he is the play-yard bully. When asked why, the bully generally shrugs and says "I dont know." Similarly when asked why, Iago's response is just as simple: "What you know, you know." [Act V, Scene 2, Line 302] And Iago knew why; and he knew how. Iago most honestly confesses to Emily "I told him what I thought, an...
