Borderline Personality Disorder In Othello

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

It would be difficult for anyone to come to terms with such contradictory notions of themselves, and Othello is no exception. Once Iago sets the stage for Othello?s fall, the negative emotions aroused in the general cause him to release the lunatic black man that the insiders have feared lies within ?The Moor?s? austere composure. Many critics have suggested that Othello?s extreme jealousy is what amounts to his belief in Iago?s twisted tale of Desdemona?s infidelity and thus his ultimate downfall; however, it seems more likely that it is Othello?s insecurity over his sense of self that allows this manipulation to amount to such an extreme representation of character. Othello himself admits ?Rude am I in my speech? (I.iii.81), failing to have the confidence to eloquently explicate his relationship with Desdemona, although his words prove him to possess quite an impressive mastery of the English language. He comments again on his

Throughout the entirety of Shakespeare’s play Othello, it is apparent that one of the play’s main characters, Iago, has a persistent mental disorder that causes him to make unreasonable actions throughout the course of the play. Showcased by Iago are symptomsareIago exhibits symptoms such as a lack of empathy for others, strong and inappropriate emotional outbursts, strong changes in emotions, and a history of unstable relationships with others. These symptoms can be observed throughin how Iago interacts with the other characters, such as Desdemona, Othello, Cassio, and Roderigo. In addition, Iago’s thoughts have put on display shown his unstable mind, as well as the way in whichand how he sorts out his unethical actions. For these reasons, Iago exhibits symptoms that can be identified as Borderline Personality Disorder.

serve god if the devil bid you” and he also says “the moor is now

A disorder that changes one’s personalities can relate to a certain character in the tragedy, Othello, written by Shakespeare. This mental illness is known as Dissociative Identity DIsorder, more commonly used as Multiple Personality Disorder. A short summary of what the disorder is, is a brain or thought process that forgets and makes you believe you are a whole new person. Iago is a character in Othello who doesn’t have this disorder but shows how the disorder can look on a person in a minor setting (minor meaning not a severe case). He shows this by his own fault not because he has Multiple Personality Disorder but because he likes the drama involved. When Iago talks to Othello he tells him stuff about his wife pretending to be on his side

The first criterion in the DSM-5 related to borderline personality disorder is “Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.” The DSM provides a further explanation to this symptom, though, saying that “These individuals are very sensitive to environmental circumstances. They experience intense abandonment fears and inappropriate anger when faced with a realistic time-limited separation or when there are unavoidable changes in plans” (633). Although fear of abandonment is common with most people, Othello displays this characteristic to the extreme. At one point, he described feeling intense anger when his wife, Desdemona, lost a handkerchief he gave her. An argument erupted, leaving

Susan Snyder states "Barbantio, Iago and finally Othello see the love Between Othello and Desdemona as unnatural, ‘nature erring from it self’." Othello expresses this through his statement,

Occasionally, individuals may suspect that they are being lied to, or that another individual is using them, but for a person with paranoid personality disorder, these suspicions are extreme and continuous. In Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, the titular character experiences severe doubts about his wife, Desdemona, distrusts what others are telling him, is quick to jump to conclusions, and is easily angered. In order to be properly diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder, the patient must meet at least four out of the nine criteria and characteristics of the illness. By modern day standards, Othello would be diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder because he meets five of the nine traits such as, believing that friends or associates are unloyal to him, concluding that others wish to deceive him, reading into innocent remarks as threatening, questioning the loyalty of his spouse, and being quick to let anger surface.

In Othello by William Shakespeare, the villainous Iago devises a plot with the hopes that Othello and his wife, Desdemona, will be separated so that he can take Othello’s position as head of the Venetian Military. Iago’s scheme consists of him convincing Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him with his lieutenant, Cassio. Iago has told no one else about his ploy so while everyone else’s actions remain true, he manipulates their every move for his benefit. While their actions may not lead to results that they expected, exploring the reasoning behind everyone’s actions, can give insight to their values since the actions were based on what they believed was the best thing to do. To the characters of Othello, honor is more important than

This quote explains the shift in Othello’s personality. Othello is fueled by the jealousy of Desdemona and enraged that she would do such a thing to disrespect him. His pride was shattered and his feelings were hurt.

Speaking of the reasons of Othello’s tragic ending, the opinions have been various. Some people believe that racial discrimination contributes to the tragedy; some deem that Othello’s character defects causes the tragedy; some think that the instability of their love leads to the tragic end……

Othello is one of the greatest plays due to its variety of character and themes. The immorality seen in Iago, the gullibility in Othello, and the desperation of Desdemona make the story. The theme of social status plays a huge role in the story. In addition, the theme of appearance versus reality also plays a huge role in how each tragedy happens. In the critical essay “Othello” it discusses the idea that the characters are cast as outsiders due to false interpretation of what is happening or what is being said. On the other hand, the piece “Othello Character Analysis” emphasizes how characterization reflects the greatness of the piece.

Othello by William Shakespeare is set in 16th century Renaissance Venice before transitioning to the island of Cyprus. It follows the relationship between the black Venetian general and “valiant Moor” Othello and his new wife Desdemona, the daughter of an important Venetian senator. Throughout the play, we encounter three main female characters; Cassio’s mistress Bianca, Othello’s wife Desdemona as well as her maid and Iago wife Emilia. All three of these women have very different roles and functions throughout the play; they are all portrayed in very different lights by the playwright. Desdemona is the loving wife who so innocent and naïve about the world that she

He mainly shows this in Othello through his dramatic change in character from act 1 where he is a noble man to a jealous, violent maniac by the end of the play, “O, thou Othello, that wert once so good, fallen in the practice of a damned slave, what shall be said to thee?” Occupation is another cause of Othello’s alienation as his job is to kill people. He cuts an intimidating figure that leaves everyone, even the elite, with a sense of caution and fear around him. Othello has an important job that derives respect and admiration from people of power, yet he is crippled by emotion. He was raised to be a soldier, taught violence and combat but not social and political skills. Shakespeare uses Desdemona to symbolise love, which was slowly changing Othello but when put under pressure, he reverted to his basic instincts, “…let her rot and perish, and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone: I strike it and it hurts my hand.” Othello’s inability to control is actions leads to his fall from grace and the death of many. This emotional immaturity is brought about by his upbringing, thus providing another reason for Othello’s apparent

“O thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my daughter? Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her! For I’ll refer me to all things of sense, if she in chains of magic were not bound, whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy, so opposite to marriage that she shunned the wealthy curlèd darlings of our nation, would ever have, t' incur a general mock, run from her guardage to the sooty bosom of such a thing as thou—to fear, not to delight. Judge me the world if ’tis not gross in sense that thou hast practiced on her with foul charms, abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals that weakens motion. I’ll have ’t disputed on. 'Tis probable and palpable to thinking. I therefore apprehend and do attach thee for an abuser of the world, a practicer of arts inhibited and out of warrant.—Lay hold upon him.” (Shakespeare 1.2.80-100)