Othello, By William Shakespeare - 1830 Words

A literal definition of psychopath is, â€Å"a mental disorder in which an individual manifests amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, ect.† (dictionary). The character Iago in the Shakespearean play Othello meets this definition in nearly every aspect, which can be seen through his actions, his words, and most importantly the sly, secret persona that is known only by the audience. His true intentions that are filled with deceit and hate are masked by an overwhelming charisma that clouds the eyes of the other characters. While at first glance some would not see him as a person with a mental disorder, rather someone who is†¦show more content†¦Even though he convinced him to, Cassio is responsible for his decisions and needs to own up to it. It was his mistake for getting intoxicated and making stupid decisions: not Iago. He did not force him into doing anything, Cassio did that all on his own. Another trait shown by Iago to prove his mental sanity, would be his use of reasoning and logic, rather than acting without a justifiable cause. Similar to this, Iago shows connection with his emotion which can be seen when he states that, â€Å"But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve / For daws to peck at I am not what I am† (1.1.62-63). He clarifies that he follows Othello out of love, duty, and that he is not what the audience thinks he is. Another soliloquy he says that displays emotion is, â€Å"Though I do hate [the moor] as I do hell pains / Yet, for necessity of present life / I must show out a flag and sign of love / Which is indeed but sign† (1.1.171-74). Iago claims that the reason he has so much hatred for Othello is based on jealousy. However, this perspective may appear convincing due to the fact that a psychopath is not capable of feeling any emotion whatsoever. But, it is obvious that Iago feels emotions s uch as hate and jealousy. On the contrary, Iago is a psychopath as he manipulates anyone in his doing. For example, one of the characters he manipulates from the