"As I am an honest man, I thought you had received some bodily wound. There is more sense in that than in reputation. Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost without deserving" (II.iii.244-247).
I find this quote incredibly ironic. First off, it starts off with "...I am an honest man." Iago definitely is not an honest man. He twists around things just to get his way. I also find it ironic that he is telling Cassio that he should not care about his reputation. Iago was the one who ruined Cassio's reputation, so Cassio has every right to care about how others perceive him. And if anyone cares about how others perceive him, it is Iago. He wants others to love him. He wants others to sympathize with him. For example, he says "I cannot speak any beginning to this peevish odds, and would in action glorious I had lost those legs that brought me to a part of it!" (II.iii.161-165). When Othello wants to know what is going on, Iago basically says, "I want to show my loyalty to Cassio for not speaking, but I will tell you the matter if you wish." Iago manipulates the whole story to have both Cassio and Othello on his side. This is just disturbing because Iago is the person who secretly evoked the fighting and anger. None of this would have happened if Iago had not strategically placed everything. It is very disturbing that Iago is very two-faced. He is very kind to Othello, and Iago taked advantage of him. Othello thinks that Iago is innocent, and Iago enjoys adding fuel to the fire that he is a good guy in Othello's eyes. I can just sense some foreshadowing because I feel that Iago is buttering up Othello. Then, when Iago has Othello right where he wants him, Iago will probably kill Othello and take his position as a military officer.
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