Come, be a man. Drown thyself! drown cats and blind puppies. I have professed me thy friend and I confess me knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable toughness; I could never better stead thee than now. Put money in thy purse.
– William Shakespeare
Othello, Act 1, Scene 3. Iago appears to care for Roderigo and be his friend. He offers advice after Roderigo’s talk of drowning himself over his unrequited love for Desdemona. He urges Roderigo to be a man and says that drowning is for cats and blind puppies, not for a man like him. Iago in a metaphor compares their bond of friendship to indestructable cables that knit them together. He advises Roderigo to get some money and follow the army to Cyprus, forecasting that the love between Othello and Desdemona will not last long. The reality is that masterful manipulator Iago is using Roderigo as part of his plan to exact revenge on Othello and also to get Roderigo’s money for himself.