"My friend, thy husband, honest, honest Iago." Page 1454, Act V, Scene ii, line 153
This line reveals what Iago's epithet has been the entire play. Iago is repeatedly referred to as honest. However, readers are aware of the fact that he is anything but honest. I think this epithet is ironic because Iago spends the entire time manipulating people for his own good. This epithet characterizes how Iago appears to the characters. This is important because it explains and justifies the actions that the characters take that the readers percieve as stupid. One of these actions is trusting Iago. The characters all seem to trust him to help them because he acts honest and genuinely concerned for them. I think this epithet also shows how manipulative Iago was because everyone called him honest. An epithet is a generally accepted adjective that describes the character, so it must have been a consensus that Iago was a good and honest man.
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