The function of imagery in William Shakespeare's mid-16th century play Othello is to aid characterization and define the meaning of the play. The antagonist Iago is defined through many different images, some of which are the use of poisons and sleeping pills, soporific agents, to show his true evil and sadistic nature. Othello's character is also shaped by many images such as animalistic, black and white and horse images which indicate his lustful and sexual nature. The characterization of women is heavily dictated by the images used to show the patriarchal gender system of the time. Some of these images are those of wooden horses and the like which show that they, Desdemona and Emelia, were nothing better than common whores. Othello's point of view at the beginning of the play contradicts these patriarchal views with Desdemona and Othello's true love overcoming these stereotypes and this is told to us through images of righteous warriors and the like. The power of deception is also shown through images of spiders and cobwebs, uniforms and other similar images. The power of jealousy is also well defined by the images. The handkerchief, green-eyed monster, and cuckolding imagery are prominent in defining this theme. The satanic character of Iago is portrayed well though different types or images. His sadistic intent is represented through suffocating imagery “I will pour the plague into his (Othello's) ear” (II iii 356) Iago says in a soliloquy as he outlines his intent and his malignant nature. This continues throughout the work with lines such as “The Moor already changes with my poison” (III iii 322) and “Neither poppy nor mandrake, | Nor will all the drowsy syrups in the world medicine you for that sweet sleep | What you did yesterday” (III iii 327-30). His mischievous character is compared to a snake through this image of poisons that the snake has and then Lodovico calls him “Viper” (V ii 281) which indicates that Iago's character is that of a snake, and at that time a snake he was considered a creature of pure evil. Iago's Machiavellian character can also be seen through his use of reputation imagery for Cassio and Othello. To Cassio he says “Reputation is a vain and most false imposition” (II iii 267-8) and paradoxically, to Othello, he says that reputation is everything to a man and without it he is nothing. Iago is also compared a lot, albeit figuratively, to the Devil.