Othello says, "A man he is of honesty and trust" before allowing Desdemona to be in the care of Iago [I. iii. 286]. Othello again says, "I know, Iago thy honesty and love." when asking Iago to tell him who started the drunken brawl between Cassio and Roderigo [II. iii. 240]. Cassio says "Good night, honest Iago" before leaving after the drunken brawl [II. iii. 329]. Cassio says to himself "I never knew a Florentine more kind and honest" after Iago gave him advice about his job [III. i. 42]. Desdemona states "O, that's an honest fellow" after Emilia brings up the fact that Iago is worried about Cassio's job. Iago is seen as deceivingly honest throughout the entire play, but it is hard for one to believe that Iago's "universal reputation for honesty has been based over a long period of time on calculation and bluff" (Godfrey, 421). Iago must have truly been an honest person prior to this plot against Othello and Cassio, and this proves that he was not always a villain.
Iago had probably been honest and kind his entire life, and now reaching the age of 28 ("I hath looked upon the world four times seven years" [I. iii. 311]), Iago saw that his life was not going the way he wanted. He felt he was of low rank and without that promotion from Othello he would remain of low status far beyond when he felt it was time for him to move up. "I know my price, I am worth no worse a place" [I. i. 12]. That fear of remaining in a job for the rest of his life that he felt was for the less experienced, struck and scared him into an overwhelming feeling that he was running out of time. A comparison can be made to someone of the modern era. Iago felt the same way someone would who got stuck working at McDonalds the rest of their life after graduating from high school and college, when the person had much greater plans. Yes, it is okay to work at McDonalds as a starting point when one is young, but as one gets older he or she deserves a higher paying more responsible position.
