In the play Othello, by Shakespeare, one of Shakespeare's main themes is "honesty". We see very few instances in the play where pure honesty is enacted. In Steve Cassal's essay, he examines “honesty” in the play and how this virtue is expressed in the characters. The play hides true honesty until it is revealed after tragic events occur. Through the play, Shakespeare discovers that true honesty is rare because no one is purely honest until tragedy occurs. Iago, the most evil of the characters, is seen as masking his honesty with evil acts. Ironically, Iago is described by many characters as "honest Iago", although this is a completely false characterization. Iago is excellent at disguising his honesty by using phrases such as "Honest as I am" or "How honest an honest man am I." Throughout the play, honest Iago is seen lying to almost every character, but one of the main acts he is guilty of was when he let Othello believe that his wife was cheating on him with Cassio. While trying to convince Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful and that Cassio is disloyal, Iago tells Othello: “I speak not yet of evidence. Look at your wife; observe it carefully with Cassio; Thus keep thine eyes, not jealous nor sure” (3.3.196-198). In this quote, Iago is essentially suggesting that Othello should watch over his wife while she is with Cassio, but he should not watch out of jealousy. Of course, Iago's selfishness drives him to make up these lies to get what he wants, which clearly shows how rare honesty is. Iago continues to mask his pure identity, until his true self is revealed when tragedy strikes. Iago pretends to be Cassio's best friend but actually ends up using him to prove to Othello that Desdemona is... at the center of the card... faithful and authentic to Othello, Emilia intervenes to clarify how chaste and pure Desdemona is in reality it was. After Desdemona's murder, Emilia says: “Moor, she was chaste. She loved you, cruel Moro” (5.2.250). It is after this tragic incident that Othello finally has the opportunity to learn about Desdemona's pure and honest character from Emilia. As demonstrated, it is impossible to notice that honesty occurs frequently throughout the play, and genuine honesty ends up being released only after tragedy occurs. In conclusion, Shakespeare reveals that true honesty is rare because no one is purely honest until tragedy strikes. Honesty is rare because Iago masks his true self and Emilia, along with Desdemona, who are the most sincere characters, make up lies. In conclusion, the genuine and pure identities of these characters are revealed only after Desdemona's tragic death.