cs - honesty - onto Iago, and Iago taking note of this tendency and planning to take advantage of it. Iago's recognition of Othello's trusting nature, however, allows Iago to project his suspicions onto Othello. The scene in which this takes place, the "temptation" scene, is driven as much by Othello's view of Iago as it is by Iago's suggestions. Early in the scene Othello says the following to "force" Iago to speak his mind, "I think thou dost; / And, for I know thou'rt full of love and honesty. . .Therefore these stops of thine fright me the more" (3.3.130-3) and concludes the scene by saying, ironically, "This fellow's of exceeding honesty, / And knows all qualities, with a learned spirit / Of human dealing" (3.3.274-6). There is no question of Iago's competence in handling those around him, but again Othello projectively interprets this competence as an expression of Iago's "honesty." Othello's view of Iago made the success of Iago's cunning possible, a fact even Iago recognized. The same phenomenon is at work in Iago's relationship with Roderigo, although it is evident only in the speed with which Roderigo is willing to adapt Iago's point of view. The play's opening lines consist of Roderigo's complaint that Iago is withholding his feelings. Iago employs the same technique with Roderigo that he does with Othello in Act 3. In both cases Iago's self-judgment serves as the means by which his listener is prepared to accept Iago's comments as truth - "nothing this terrible could be true." Iago says to Roderigo in Act 1, "If ever I did dream of such a matter, Abhor me" (1.1.5-6), and drives Othello almost mad with the impression that, "As if there were some monster in his thought / Too hideous to be shown" (3.3.121-2). This is the source of Iago's strength. Iago's true character, one so foreign to the trusting natures of the people surrounding him, places him above suspicion even while he does reveal the monsters "in his thought." As evi...
