The character Iago ominously mutters the words, "I am not what I am," at the beginning of William Shakespeare's "Othello the Moor of Venice" (I.i.65). What Iago means by these words so early in the play is a bit ambiguous, but as one reads on, many interpretations ensue. That very phrase becomes a subtle but powerful theme all throughout the tragic story that unfolds, and not only in regards to Iago, but also to …showed first 75 words of 1232 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1232 total…a need for acceptance, the perceptions of characters in Othello create an undeniable theme of the boundaries between perception and reality. These characters are not who they claim to be--they are but vague likenesses of the insecure people each hides. Where does perception end and reality begin? This of course doesn't warrant an answer, and to even attempt such a feat would be an insult to the social complexity of "Othello the Moor of Venice."