Iago's Personality Disorder In Othello

Evil masterminds are always successful in their diabolical schemes, but each one does it in their own special way. Some may be highly ranked and powerful, but some may be simple people in a simple community. In the play Othello, the simple ancient, Iago is very successful at his schemes. Iago is able to get the trust of everyone around him, and to appear honest. He is also driven to continue with his schemes and to never quite.

Fred West’s perspective on Iago is that he is a psychopath. He argued that Iago is an ‘accurate portrait of a psychopath’. He stated that “the psychopath does not set out to lie in the self-conscious, guilt-beset way that a normal person would. Lying does not bother him.” I agree with West’s view of Iago being a psychopath. By definition psychopaths are unable to form emotional attachments or feel real empathy with others, both of which are demonstrated by Iago during the play. Psychopath’s are often charming, they are very manipulative, just like Iago is with Othello and how he manipulates him into believing Othello’s wife has been unfaithful and can easily gain people’s trust, Iago’s ‘honest’ facade allows people to believe he is trustworthy.

8ahlmeier 5characters so well, Iago uses ethos to effectively ;udge which method of persuasion to use based on a character’s 0ualities, flaws, motives, and desires, and Iago’s relationship to him or her.Iago easily evokes "assio’s emotions through pathos. #e recogni%es the honorable and valiant virtues "assio e2hibits and uses these virtues to fashion "assio into a pawn. Iago, knowing alcohol to be the counteragent of "assio’s virtues, encourages the sport of drinking to the point where "assio rela2es his conduct and allows his emotions to overcome him, breaking out in a fight which causes him to forfeit his position as officer !II.iii.465-$. "assio has a strong desire for redemption and reinstallation, and Iago suggests "assio beseech

There are many people that are considered sociopaths in the world, many of which hold high ranks in our society; amongst those many people you could find presidents and CEO's of companies, all willing to do whatever it takes to step on all kinds of people to get to the top of the social classes. If the definition of a sociopath is someone with an emotional and behavior disorder, clear perception of reality save for the person's social and moral obligations and often by the pursuit of immediate gratification in criminal acts or sexual perversion then Iago fits the description perfectly. Iago of all people wields the power of manipulation like no other man in Othello; he has a complete lack of empathy, is aggressive and he is a master

What caused Iago to seek to ruin multiple lives, particularly Othello and Desdemona’s? Throughout the entirety of Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello, the main antagonist, Iago, clearly specifies his motives for causing the chaos he did. The villain heartlessly manipulates his comrades as if they were puppets, using their personalities and weaknesses to their disadvantage. Iago’s manipulation, dishonesty, and jealousy led to the destruction of Desdemona and Othello’s happiness.

Othello’s downfall was fate, but it was a fate decided by that of someone else. Iago is an evil character in the play Othello, by Shakespeare. He tricks people into getting what he wants and does not care about other’s emotions or the consequences of his actions. Many characters are on the receiving end of Iago’s fraudulent acts. Never once does Iago show any remorse towards his victims and he never feels remotely bad for all the horrible things he does. Therefore, in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello, Iago displays concrete evidence of having antisocial personality disorder through his habits involving manipulative tendencies, safety disregards, and apathy.

Iago's manipulative nature has a profound effect on the decisions made by other characters in Shakespeare's ‘Othello’. Through his relations with those around him Shakespear characterizes him as a man full of malice, vengeance and dishonesty that is wholly inspired by jealousy. Furthermore it would appear that Iago has an exceptional ability to scheme, a talent which he uses to snake his way into the lives of others and exploit them through their weaknesses. Whether he does this for profit or for pleasure is a separate issue.

In a Shakespearean tragedy, no man is left out in the vicious storyline of fate. Meaning in every situation there must be a character that is fraudulent and misleading. To which this character would tell false lies to hopefully make the plot end in disaster. In the dramatic play Othello, Shakespeare unleashes the tale of an interracial marriage between a Moor (Othello) and a Venetian woman. Which continuously builds on internal dialogue, race, gender, and insinuations the characters placed on one another. Moreover, the characters possessing various kinds of mental disorders was a recurring question within the play’s colloquies. In which added more meaning to the characters mental disorders and how they affected the characters in the play. A mental disorder is known as a health condition that seems to affect mood, thinking, and behavior. To which Iago completely supports this belief. Iago has expressed throughout the play in several cases of possessing a mental disorder. Yet, Iago can be seen presenting certain features of these disorders while interacting with other characters in social settings and in his internal monologue. However, based on these key facts it is clear Iago retains the Antisocial Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Trust is fundamental to life, but knowing who to trust can be quite difficult. Having faith in the wrong person could lead to unfortunate outcomes. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, many characters are blinded by Iago’s false personality, causing them to put their trust in someone who eventually makes them feel cheated and betrayed. After reviewing the term sociopath, defined as, “a person with a personality disorder manifesting itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behaviour” (English Oxford), one could say that Iago has antisocial personality disorder. The traits Iago displays throughout the play, such as his use of manipulation, his abusive behavior toward others, his lack of remorse, and his deceitfulness make him a true sociopath.

Iago is thoroughly narcissistic and unsympathetic towards the emotions he provokes from his actions. Hiss lack of a conscience and remorse “is one of the central features of psychopathy” (West). His motives exhibit more of an afterthought instead of a catalyst towards the actions he perpetuates. He is

different point of view. To effectively manipulate one must know the weakness of the targeted person. Therefore, using their emotions to enable the manipulation easily. Othello is a tragedy, written by William Shakespeare in the seventeenth century. The play by William Shakespeare includes the character of Iago. Iago is the antagonist in Othello, who cleverly plans out his tactics. Viewing the character of Iago from an analytical point of view shows Iago exposing himself to be a psychopath. Iago can use the weakness of the characters to set up scenes, and earns himself the title “The Honest Iago.” Consequently, psychopaths act as pleasurable people, but in reality, they are different in private. A psychopath sees themselves as preferable and worthy of the respect of others. The complex character of Iago sees himself as being superior to Cassio and is inclined to seek vengeance on Cassio and Othello. The character of Cassio is similar to Othello since they both appear to be impeccable. In Othello, the complex character of “Honest Iago” creates a psychotropic weapon by using the vulnerability of the character’s emotional state to create the perfect tactics.

     Iago, the villain in Shakespeare’s Othello, is a round character of great depth and many dimensions. Iago works towards an aim that is constantly changing and becomes progressively more tragic. Yet, at times, "honest" Iago does actually seem honest. This essay will explore the complex character of "honest Iago.

How does one create the perfect villain for a story? What qualities are needed in such a character? A good place to start when constructing a villain is to look at William Shakespeare’s villain in Othello, a man called Iago. Iago is wonderfully devious. Throughout the play, he not only poisons Othello’s vision of Desdemona, he does this with no one, excepting Roderigo, the wiser. There are several reasons that make Iago such a terrifying villain. Shakespeare gave certain qualities to his creation that made Iago more than just a evil character. These qualities transform Iago into the truly insidious character seen in the play. From the beginning of Othello to the time that Iago is revealed as the culprit, everyone trusts Iago and looks to

At all points of one’s life, one has desires; what separates and defines a person is determined by how that person goes about dealing with those desires. Some believe in working honestly towards his or her aspirations and others in seizing it at any cost. Iago, the antagonist of the play Othello is one of those people who would do anything in order to get what he wishes. Because Othello names Cassio lieutenant instead of him, he begins to device a plan in vengeance to bring Othello and Cassio down, which ends up tragic for all of the major characters. Iago’s obsessive need for revenge stems from jealousy and ambition, and because he is a master manipulator, the plan goes extremely smooth for the majority of the play.

Deep desire to be at the center of things is served by extreme self-confidence, a combination that makes narcissists attractive and even charming (Woods 256). Other symptoms can be expressed as two-faced, manipulative, seductive, and hypocritical (Kanter 121). The cause of these thoughts in humans has to do with an improperly working ego. There was a common theme on a general cause of this disorder which was, early transition into the 'real world' fails in some way, leading the person to remain, at least in part, in the early self-focused. The Narcissist fails to learn regard for other people, situations, or entities (Kanter 123). Iago expressed the qualities of a diagnosed Narcissist throughout the entire play. With a need for approval, he went unfulfilled when Othello promoted Cassio instead of himself. In order to get back at Othello he plotted against him. Always appearing as trustworthy, Iago tricked Othello into believing his lies. Also throughout the play there was always a lack of empathy towards the destruction of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. These symptoms clearly identify Iago as a certified narcissist.