Analysis Of Patient Othello For Paranoid Personality Disorder

Cassio's trust in Iago stems not only from his impeccable reputation of sincerity, but again from Othello's influence.  Othello simply states; "Iago is most honest." [Act II, scene iii], when conversing with Cassio.  Once more, if Othello feels this way, then Cassio, who admires Othello and follows his leadership, will also believe that Iago is an honest man.  When Iago pretends to help Cassio, he comments; "I never knew a Florentine more kind and honest", [Act III, scene I].

You have told me she hath received them, and returned me expectations and comfort of sudden respect and acquaintance; but I find none” (IV, ii, 186-190). Roderigo started to see that Iago is cheating on him, but Iago is smart enough, and Roderigo is dumb enough for Iago to confuse him. In the second act during the party after the defeat over the Turks, Cassio becomes very drunk and easily taken advantage of. He then runs into the room where everyone is and attacks Roderigo. Montano intervenes and is then wounded by Cassio; Othello is forced to demote Cassio from his position of Lieutenant. With Cassio devastated he asks for advice from Iago, he then informs Cassio the only way to gain his position back is to talk to Desdemona. Cassio then leaves “good night, Honest Iago” (II, iii, 306). Shakespeare put in those two extra words on purpose; he is trying to show how Iago is already able to play with people’s minds and how manipulative he can be. Us, the audience knowing what Iago really wants to do, but Cassio puts trust into Iago with his position and future. The last person to believe Iago is honest and to trust him is Othello. Iago started to tell Othello of how Desdemona might be sleeping with Cassio, and how she is cheating on him. Othello does not believe him as there is no proof, “I’ll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove; and on the proof there is no more but this” (III, iii, 190-191). Othello knows

Othello trusts Iago and now Iago is trying to take his wife from him for someone else. Furthermore, “He takes her by the palm...sir in.” (pg. 71). Iago watches Cassio and Emilia because he thinks they had an affair he watches them carefully so he can figure out how to convince Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. Another example involves the plan to help Othello kill Desdemona. “Do it not with poison. Strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated” (pg. 185). Othello believes that Iago is most honest, thus he believed killing his wife Desdemona was the right thing to do. Iago brainwashed Othello into believing the wrong thing was the right thing. The characterization of Iago is created by the use of dramatic irony. The audience knew how devious Iago is, but the characters fell for his mischievous acts.

By the middle of the play Othello’s mood and demeanor seem to shift from being peaceful and patient to very anxious, paranoid, and gullible. For example when Othello is talking to Iago and Iago suggests that maybe his wife is not being faithful to him, it becomes Othello’s obsession to get down to the bottom of it and catch her. “I have been talking with your suitor here, a man that languishes in your displeasure / Who is’t you mean / Why, your lieutenant, Cassio. Good my lord” (III.iii.41-43). In this dialog between Othello and Iago, with just two sentences Iago causes Othello to lose trust in his wife and believe she is being unfaithful to him which grows stronger and stronger each scene of the play. Because Iago is extremely cunning and manipulative, he is able to control almost anyone he chooses and he is in control of Othello’s emotions because he knows the things Othello fears. Iago is pretending to be Othello’s friend but secretively is going behind his back and bringing him down. Iago convinces Othello that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona. “I humbly do beseech

Throughout Shakespeare's play, we watch the tragic downfall of Othello as he slowly deteriorates before our very eyes. From the being of the play, Othello is portrayed as a heroic symbol, a sign of nobility, whose actions at the time were rational and not unusual. Othello’s severe paranoia could be overlooked because, “the audience does not want to see a hero falter. Rather, they want to see them succeed”(Cochrane3). Whether or not we choose to believe Cochrane’s statement, Othello’s tragic flaw of excessive paranoia cannot be ignored as the severity of his condition worsens. In my personal opinion, based on my own significantly accurate theory, Othello could have had control over his character flaw if he really tried. He made no attempt

Acting on snap judgments results in a negative outcome. Although prejudice in and of itself is dangerous, the true damage comes from resulting actions. This is most clearly demonstrated by Othello’s handling of the play’s main conflict. Even though the majority of the blame falls upon Iago, the success of his scheme is dependent on how Othello interprets and reacts to his claims. If Othello does not act out of a place of jealousy and prejudice- premature judgment- Iago’s plot would have be thwarted. Through the first two acts of the play Othello is established as a character with great trust, pride, and honor. He confidently defends and upholds his love for Desdemona. It is shocking how quickly he strays from these traits after Iago merely hints at the fact that she might be cheating on him. With no evidence at all, Othello makes a snap judgment. “Why did I marry? This honest creature doubtless/Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds” (Shakespeare

The element of trust can be interpreted throughout the tragedy of Othello. “I shall but love thee better after death.” (Elizabeth Barrett Browning). Once poisoned in the mind, and overfilled by emotion, Othello had to trust in someone that did not tell the truth. The “Moor” (1.3.223) did not investigate Iago’s accusations, or seek his own proof regarding Desdemona’s betrayal. Ultimately, this cost him not only the guilt of murdering his wife, but his own life, as he killed himself as well. While Othello thought he was doing the right thing by killing Desdemona, he did it due to his love for her. “Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). While in the perspective of today’s society, this can be interpreted to putting loved ones first; however, in the culture of Othello this becomes a bit blurry for Othello murdered his wife out of love; the general believed he was protecting her, or preserving her goodness. “Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men. Put out the light, and then put out the light. If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy former light restore… That can thy light resume. When I have pluck’d the rose… Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee, and love thee after.” (5.2.6-19). Battle history, “Honest Iago” (1.3.316), and the overflow of emotions all add up in regards to why Othello trusted Iago, and did not go out and investigate the all the drama and commotion for himself.

Othello’s love for Desdemona was so deep he could not bear the thought of another being with her; “If she be false, O! Then heaven mocks itself. I’ll not believe’t.” Iago uses the characters of Cassio and the obsessive Roderigo as his weapons in his cunning plan. Iago drives the idea into Othello’s mind that Desdemona has been unfaithful, inciting him into a state of jealousy. “Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee; and when I love thee not, chaos is come again.” Othello growing insecurities about his wife’s faithfulness only adds to his psychological suffering which in turn acts as a catalyst towards the suffering of other characters involved in the play.Iago tells these lies with the intention of driving Othello insane as well as establish his dominance and influence the situations of those characters close to Othello. Evidence of this comes in one of Iago’s soliloquies from act two, scene one; “That Cassio loves her, I do well Believe’t: That she loves him, ‘tis apt and of great credit.” This section shows that he is trying to convince himself that his own manipulative lies are true and is trying to reassure his motives by justifying his own actions. By convincing Othello

Jealousy is a powerful drug. When someone is jealous, one can only imagine how far someone would go because of it. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, there were several characters that went through different ways of processing their jealousy. Iago’s jealousy provokes his idea to get back at the people he felt was not deserving enough of the things they had or their happiness. His plans succeeds but by the end, no one wins. Iago’s jealousy forms at the beginning of the play which causes Othello’s jealousy towards the end and because of it, it results in people hurt mentally and physically.

The relationship of the characters in Othello are shaped by the theme of truth and lies. Othello has trouble believing in his relationship with Desdemona because he considers too many outside opinions. Iago is the center of creating manipulations to alter the truth of the actual information. Therefore, Othello questions his fidelity with Desdemona because Iago plants different information to manipulate Othello’s mind and ultimately disrupt his relationship. According to Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Othello wishes to excuse himself—to excuse himself by accusing” (151). Othello has others easily influence his decisions, in which he is incapable of trusting himself. Needless to say, Othello finds it easier to accuse Desdemona of her wrongdoings and for being unfaithful; he does not question Iago’s creditability. In addition, the theme of truth and lies arise from Othello’s inability to understand himself, so Othello initially has Iago dictate. For that reason, Iago is able to tell Othello anything, knowing that Othello does not question him. However, Othello does not see that Iago manipulates him, and Iago’s lies are perceived as the truth, as it contradicts what Desdemona says.

The three people that Othello trust the most are: his wife, lieutenant Cassio, and Iago. But Iago has bad intensions, and he is going to be the character that steers Othello wrong. Even though Othello has done nothing wrong to him he thinks that his wife, Emilia cheated on him with Othello. So that’s why he wants to get revenge on Othello. But the main reason Iago is steering Othello wrong because he wants a higher position in the army. Iago is just the evil character in the play that lies and cheats.

For all the dangers and encounters he has been involved in, Othello is still naive when it comes to the corruptness of other people. Othello has a trusting nature in which he gives it all. He put all his trust in Iago during times of war and during his marriage to Desdemona. Everyone considered Iago to be honest, and it would be simply unspeakable for Othello to believe any differently. For example, Othello had told Duke: "So please your grace, my ancient; a man he is of honesty and trust. To his conveyance I assign my wife, with what else needful your good grace shall think, To be sent after me" (I, iii, lines 306-310). Even if Othello were not as trusting or corrupt, he still would not realize Iago was lying.

All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven” (3.3.489-90). In this quotation, Othello is saying how Iago helps him sees the truth and makes him lost his love toward Desdemona. Ironically, Othello does not know the truth, but it is his gullibility of trusting the “honest Iago” (2.3.175) makes him believe anything he said, despite whether he had any physical evidence or not. In addition, Othello’s gullibility leads to a bigger problem, which is his jealousy of think Desdemona and Cassio is having an affair, which makes him impulsive and blindly believing anything that Iago says. Othello is so gullible that even at the end of the play he still believes in Iago so much that he thinks “Iago knows that [Desdemona] with Cassio hath the act of shame a thousand times committed; Cassio confess'd it” (5.2.211-213). In Othello’s speech, he is saying how Iago also know that Desdemona and cassio is having an affair, and Cassio confessed it. The truth is that Cassio does not confess the affair between Desdemona, he and Iago is talking about Brianca. This emphasize how gullible Othello is of trusting anything that Iago says. Moreover, it is

In similar fashion to the previous example, Othello does not seem to be paranoid at first, but his gullibility serves as motivation for his paranoia to become apparent, We see that Othello’s paranoia begins to significantly escalate as his conversation continues throughout Act III, due to Iago and his false theories. First, Iago decided to re-mention to Othello the fact that Desdemona lied to her father saying, “She did deceive her father, marrying you, And when she seemed to shake and fear your looks, she loved them most”(III٠3۰747) hence the possibility of her lying to Othello was not far from unreasonable. In response, Othello agrees with Iago saying, “And so she did”(III٠3۰747), followed by, “I’ faith, I fear it has”(III٠3۰747), displaying Othello’s awareness of the practicality of Iago’s theory, yet he still holds to his faith in Desdemona, refusing to let himself become uncontrollably paranoid. Othello then continues to listen to

That fact in and of itself should make Cassio weary of Iago. Added to that, Iago influences Cassio to drink more alcohol than Cassio can handle. This leads to the fight between Cassio and Roderigo. During this time Iago poisons Montano’s impressions of Cassio by telling him, “I fear the trust Othello puts in him,”(II.iii.120). Iago also says alcohol “‘Tis evermore the prologue to his sleep.”(II.iii.123). Iago, again, uses Othello’s trust in his character. Othello, when he finally gets the story from Iago, is blinded by Iago’s “honesty and love” and says that these “doth mince [his judgement in] this matter,/ making it light to Cassio.”(II.iii.241-242). Nevertheless, Cassio asks for and acts on advice from Iago. This advice is the crucial mandate that ensures Iago will be able to plant the seed of doubt in Othello’s mind.