Paranoid Personality Disorder In Shakespeare's Othello

What we deem normal in today’s society has been defined as conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern in our everyday lives. People who fall out of this normality are often deemed “Strange” or “Irregular”. Throughout the play Othello, it is seen how Iago, the main antagonist of the story, doesn’t exactly fit the regular patterns of the time period. He consistently lies, manipulates, and abuses other peoples trust to his advantage to achieve his own goals. Many of Iago’s actions have a close relationship with a certain type of disorder: Antisocial Personality disorder. In the play Othello, it is showcased through consistent manipulation, disregard for emotions, and unlawful behavior that Iago has Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Throughout Shakespeare’s many works, mental illnesses have played an undeniable part in many of them, especially his tragedies. From Lady Macbeth hallucination of a bloody spot leading to her suicide, to Hamlet’s faked illness and Ophelia’s very real illness, afflictions of the mind are featured prominently in the Bard of Avalon’s many works. Still, in the Elizabethan era, understanding of mental illness was rudimentary at best, as were the methods of treating it. During the Middle Ages and Elizabethan Era, numerous theories about mental disorders and how to treat them abounded. Three plays of Shakespeare’s that feature mental illness most prominently are King Lear, Hamlet, and Macbeth, while also managing to showcase the conception of

To begin, one factor that causes Othello’s downfall is that he is characterized by gullibility. Firstly, Othello is tricked by Iago, who leads him to believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. After Iago tells Othello about Cassio’s dream, Othello says, “Oh, monstrous! Monstrous!" (Shakespeare. 3. 3. 427). Othello trusts and relies on Iago too much; he believes Desdemona is truly having an affair with Cassio. His gullibility makes him become very vulnerable in Iago’s revenge scheme and gradually becomes increasingly jealous. When jealousy takes over Othello, his mind and judgment are disturbed. Furthermore, when Emilia tells Othello about the death of Desdemona, Othello admits to murdering his honest wife Desdemona but says that he killed her because she is untrue to him. After Emilia tells Othello that his thought is untrue, Othello replies: “Ay, ’twas he that told me first./ An honest man he is, and hates the slime/ That

Analyse how a key relationship was used to comment on the human condition in the written text(s).

The tragedy of Othello, written by William Shakespeare, presents the main character Othello, as a respectable, honorable, and dignified man, but because of his insecurities and good nature, he is easily taken advantage of and manipulated by his peers and alleged friends. The dynamic of Othello’s character significantly changes throughout the play. The contrast is most pronounced from the beginning of the play to its conclusion, switching from being calm and peaceful to acts of uncontrolled venomous rage. Othello’s motivation in the play appears to be his love and concern for his wife Desdemona, which ironically, ends up being his downfall in the end.

Shakespeare’s Othello is a play consistently based on jealously and the way it can destroy lives. One is quick to think this jealously is based on Othello’s lack of belief in Desdemona’s faithfulness to him or his suspensions over Desdemona’s affair with Cassio, Othello’s honorable lieutenant. Upon closer inspection of the jealously that exists throughout the play it becomes clear that his jealously is not the sole start and reason for all of the destruction that occurs. Iago, a good friend of Othello, is not who he appears to be. Iago’s own jealously of those around him pushes him over the edge. He begins to deceive all those who believe he is a true, honorable, and faithful man. Throughout Othello, Iago incites his own jealously in

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

In your view how does Shakespeare’s portrayal of the complex nature of jealousy contribute to the enduring value of Othello?

Paranoia is a problem/disorder that affects an estimated 2.5% of people and affects around 10-30% of psychiatric patients. Paranoia causes people to become more violent and cautious of others around them. People who suffer from paranoia believe everyone is out to get them with no evidence to back up their claims. Paranoid individuals are people who tend to lack social cues and are very prone to avoiding social interactions with people they are suspicious of or just in general. Thoughts of paranoia affect everyone but are the most severe in individuals with paranoid personality disorder. While no one is completely sure as to what affects paranoia, it is believed that the biggest contributors are environmental factors. According to John Mirowsky

     When we first meet Hamlet, he is a sad, dark, loathsome figure; the loss of his father and the whoring of his mother have upset him indefinitely. Like a ticking time bomb, Hamlet’s noticeable temper reflects the storm of emotions and thoughts brewing in his head, and then like a catalyst, his meeting with the Ghost of King Hamlet brings his anger to a boil. With revenge in mind, Hamlet plans to fake his madness so that he may be free to pursue his father’s killer. Everyone, except his close friend Horatio, seems convinced that he is mad. Claudius however, fearful that someone will discover his evil deed, has also had his perceptions heightened by his guilt and he experiences chronic paranoia throughout the

​Othello is a classic Shakespearean tragedy that consists of many underlying themes depicted in the story. One of the most significant themes portrayed in this play revolve around the aspect of jealousy. Jealousy is a strong feeling of resentment that can overpower a person’s good will and compel them to take involuntary action against one. During the course of this play, we see three main characters that possess this idea of a jealous nature. The theme of jealousy is recognized in the villainous Iago which exposes his true self, the pathetic Roderigo, who in turn faces severe consequences, and the great Othello himself whom jealousy devours, leading him to make rash decisions.

In Shakespeare’s Othello, the shame that characters have towards themselves and the disgust that Othello has for himself cause Othello’s mental shift in Act 3, Scene 3. It is the shame caused by the interracial relationships in the play and the disgust Othello has for himself because of his race that causes his mental shift.

People project pieces of their personality in their body language and in the language they speak. Often when meeting each other for the first time we pick up on those actions to determine what kind of person we’re dealing with; whether we’d want to deal with them again or not. This system of assessment is dangerously flawed. What if a person portrayed a personality on the surface but was the complete opposite within? We’d be in a world of trouble depending on which side of opposite the person is on. Some people could be on the darkest, self-destructive and diabolical side of the opposite of whom they appear. This bodes true for Iago of Shakespeare’s Othello the mastermind-supervillain who actually wins through the exact kind of cold-blooded

    Othello’s speech to Brabantio and the Duke in Act 1, Scene 3 is of major importance in describing Othello’s personality. This long speech, found in lines 149 to 196, shows Othello for the first time as a person with depth and less as a soldier. This speech is important to the book as a whole because it is a testimony to the strength of the love between Othello and Desdemona, which will later play a major role in the plot. It is also one of the first times that we see Othello trying to influence his audience with his words. The speech given by Othello is intended to convince Brabantio that Desdemona is with him willfully, and not by “spells and medicines bought of montebanks” (line 74).

Othello is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to be written in 1603. During the play, the readers witness multiple examples of Othello Syndrome. Othello Syndrome is a medically diagnosed illness that involves extreme jealousy that prompts those affected to take drastic or ridiculous measures to placate their jealousies. As seen in the play, the jealousies of Othello and Iago clouded their minds, turning them towards rash actions. Iago and Othello display qualities of Othello Syndrome through the events of Iago's scheme and the effect of it on Othello.