Shakespeare's plays have at least one clown figure making an appearance and Othello, is no exception. These characters range from rogues who say only a line or two, to important figures like Touchstone and Falstaff. Even the smallest clown roles, show how the clown's freedom of speech allows him to become a mediator between the audience and the action of the play, helping audience interpretation.

The clown uses colloquial speech playing to the common man with the

Permission of the nobility---for laughter is a powerful tool, and everyone

anything be made of this?” Ofcourse we can make something of this. All we have to do is change the language so that we have two words to express two meanings. We will then never confuse the two meanings of ‘lie’ since we will give one of those meanings a new word to associate with it. But this would not satisfy the playwright or anyone else who loves complex pleasures.

Iago uses the meek and naïve Desdemona as a tool in his revenge on Othello and Cassio. He cleverly constructs a series of lies to convince Othello of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness by telling Othello that Desdemona and Cassio kissed (Shakespeare 842) and that he over-heard Cassio talking in his sleep about Desdemona. Iago also lies about noticing Cassio wiping his face with the embroidered handkerchief that he had given to Desdemona for his first present (Shakespeare 850). Iago further convinces Othello of Desdemona’s unfaithfulness by stating that Cassio and Desdemona have known each other for a long time also, her defiance of her father’s will, according to Iago, should also be a testament to her disloyalty: “She did deceive her father, marrying you…’ (Shakespeare 849).

Where Cassio lies and with whom is also important in the plot. It is Iago’s most wretched lie in the play as he lies about Cassio and Desdemona lying together in bed and consequently plants suspicion in Othello’s mind that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair: “ …Or be naked with her friend in bed…so they do, it’s a venial slip” (Shakespeare 849) and thus Othello conjures up images of his wife and Cassio sleeping together as he says, “Lie with her! On her! – We say lie on her, when we belie her.” (Shakespeare 849)

Some topics in this essay:
IV Shakespeare, Venetians Iago, Touchstone Falstaff, Othello African, Desdemona Cassio, Adding Othello, Othello Cassio, OTHELLO Shakespeare’s, Cassio Iago, Cassio Desdemona, iago’s lies, lies othello, lying bed, shakespeare 849, othello cassio, towards othello, desdemona cassio, mediator audience action, des clown, confuse meanings, othello moor, losing handkerchief othello, act iii sc, othello desdemona cassio, iii sc iv,