Character Analysis Of Iago

Iago is very notorious for his villainous acts throughout the play “Othello”, by William Shakespeare. Iago’s motives drive him to manipulate and deceive other characters so his “monstrous” (I, iii, 395) plot would succeed. Iago manages to con Roderigo to take his money. Iago also tries to ruin Othello and Desdemona’s relationship by using Cassio as a bait. In this passage, Iago explains how he will manipulate Rodrigo, Cassio and, most importantly, Othello to achieve his goals.

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.

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

Iago takes what most of us see as good and uses those traits against characters in the play. He is able to take something as pure as Othello and Desdemona’s love or Cassio’s loyalty as a weakness that he can pounce on. “He holds me well; The better shall my purpose work on him.” (I, iii, 381-382) Iago possesses no good qualities so as a jealous pay back he takes trust and turns it against the trusting and then tries to take it even further for himself.

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.

Walter Scott Marmion stated, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave… when first we practice to deceive.” (Marmion)This quote seems to fit quit well with Iago in the play Othello. With his twisted mind and devilish ways of thinking. Iago has been diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder, paranoid personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. Iago has been considered literatures first sociopath due to these personality disorders he has been diagnosed with.

One of Shakespeare’s most acclaimed works, Othello, delves into a wide range of themes. The play tackles issues of race, gender and encompasses ideas of jealousy and deceit. Shakespeare also brings to life a variety of well-constructed characters. Iago, the deceitful antagonist, can easily be identified as the liveliest and most complex character in the play. His devious nature raises the question of whether or not he is a sociopath. Sociopathy is a mental disorder in which an individual’s moral depravity poses a threat to society. The Psychopathy Checklist, commonly known as the PCL, constructed a list of criteria used to diagnose sociopaths. These criteria vary from irresponsibility

In summary, Iago lack of guilt and empathy towards everyone in Othello is comparable to real life psychopaths and how they act with

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.

In the tragedy, Othello, written by William Shakespeare in 1603, the readers are never given a direct answer on why Iago acts the way he does, and why manipulates and tortures everyone in his life. Thus not being given a direct answer on why he does this without any remorse, readers are to draw conclusions on their own, to tie the loose ends on his ways. Iago shows many characteristics of being mentally ill, with a psychopathic disorder. Shakespeare has left the readers to figure this out, and to use the text to presume if he is a wether he is a psychopath or not.

In Shakespeare's play Othello, the most well-known depiction of Freud’s concept of personality is Iago's character in the story. In order to understand Iago and his actions we must take a look at what the id, ego, and superego truly are. According to Freud, these are different components of a personality that help make up your mind. The id is the primitive part of your mind, it consists of desire, wants and instincts, and it will always favor the more pleasurable side. The id will do anything it has to acquire its goals no matter how immoral or hazardous its actions may seem. The superego’s goal is to apply moral values to achieve one’s wishes. The superego imposes censurability, humiliation, self-doubt, and apprehension to control one’s actions. The ego is the section of your mind you are most vigilant, its goal is to negotiate between the id and the superego by utilizing reasoning or logic. It attempts to please both of them, however at times the ego can be too inundated and as a way to guard itself it must display a defense mechanism. Looking at Iago, psychologists would believe that he has antisocial personality disorder also known as sociopathy, in view of the fact that he is manipulative, dishonest

And looking within Iago for the cause can yield the answer that the ancient is psychologically sick. In Shakespeare’s Four Giants Blanche Coles comments on the mental illness that appears to afflict the despicable Iago:

The second psychological disorder associated with Iago is sociopathic. The symptoms of a sociopath are described as “complete disregard for other’s rights, generally physically aggressive, difficult to stay in relationships, a lot of intelligence and charm. They may seem mellow and friendly but these qualities are artificial and used by