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Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries From Genuinely Interested Students 4.2.97: Top | Help
I read somewhere that in Elizabethan and in more recent usage, the word honest, when
used as an appellation with a person’s name, carries a tinge of
condescension... Honest Iago implies that the user of the appellation
feels socially superior to the one so called... And so, the
"honest man" constantly attempts to denigrate his "betters"
by "vicious," or spiteful, detraction.....
If that is the case and Iago is being called "honest" referring
to his status inferior to, say, Othello, are there any incidents
when the other characters call him honest to mean just
that = truthful? (why would they -- no one else is being called
honest, even though most speak the truth?
any thoughts will be greately appreciated.
Posted by Kasey on April 19, 1997 at 22:28:32
Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries From Genuinely Interested Students 4.2.97: Top | Help