lity tale of Good, Evil and Good Overthrown, Othello is a hall of mirrors, into which the characters have been plunged and left to their own devices to determine the real image from the reflected one. Othello places this question before the play-goer: How do we know whom we can trust? This question is answered in part through Shakespeare's use of repetition.
From a purely technical standpoint, Shakespeare uses several references to mirror images to highlight his themes. One of the more blatant references is Iago's exclamation of 'By Janus, I think no" (Oth.I.ii). Janus being the two-faced god of roman mythology, it is entirely appropriate that Iago should swear by him, and this exclamation speaks to Iago's duplicitous nature.
Another mythological reference occurs in Act II, scene iii, in which Cassio wishes he had "as many mouths as Hydra." Hydra is a many-headed monster from Greek mythology. These references, while of slight value in terms of establishing theme or furthering dramatic action, are of great help in establishing tone, and they show Shakespeare's attention to detail. In as slight a moment as Iago's exclamation, Shakespeare is drawing the playgoer's attention to hypocrisy and double-mindedness.
On several occasions, Shakespeare also has characters repeat themselves, as if to emphasize what they are saying. Cassio's celebrated outburst in Act II serves to illustrate how Shakespeare uses repetition to underscore theme:
Reputation, reputation, reputation! 0, I have
lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part
of myself, and what remains is bestial. My
reputation, Iago, my reputation! (Oth.II.iii).
A reputation is the outward appearance of a man, and not the internal substance of him. Cassio is bemoaning the division of his private virtue from his public persona. He has now been placed irrevocably in the position of having to convin
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