"I am not what I am": Perceived Reality in "Othello."

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 …

…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."