Iago is the main antagonist in the book that wants to ruin Othello’s reputation because he is jealous of Othello’s relationship with Desdemona and his rank in the army. You can tell that he doesn’t like him because he calls him racist names like ¨Moor,¨ and “Old black ram” which makes Desdemona’s dad send men to Othello’s house with torches.Iago knew that Barbantio didn’t want Desdemona to sleep with a black man or marry one
Iago is a textbook example of narcissistic personality disorder. According to Psych Central’s article on narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissist display three types of behaviors. They are grandiose sense of importance, lack of empathy, and jealousy. Iago demonstrates grandiose thinking and lack of empathy in 2 key ways. The first instance he displays grandiose thinking is when he says “ I know my price; I am worth no worse place.”Othello 1.1.12 this displays grandiose thinking by telling the reader that he deserves the job Othello gave to Cassio.
Iago does not consider for even a moment that Cassio could be more qualified for the job. He just assume he is more experienced and deserves the job. His thoughts also displays lack of empathy because it show exactly how much he disregards Cassio’s life or work. The next example of Iago’s grandiose thinking and lack of empathy is when he is talking to Roderigo and says, “Thou art sure of me:–go,make money:–I have told thee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I Hate the Moor: my cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason.
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Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him if thou canst cuckold him,thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport.”Othello 1.3.358-362. Here, he talks to Roderigo as if he expects him not pick up on the fact that Iago will use the money for himself. His thoughts also show lack of empathy because Iago doesn’t care about how Roderigo got that money and doesn’t care about Roderigo’s well being. He just wants to use him to achieve his own goals
The final way he displays narcissistic personality disorder is his jealousy. Iago exhibits jealousy in 3 different instances. My first example of jealousy by Iago is when he says “I hate the Moor:And it is thought abroad, that ‘twixt my sheets He has done my office: I know not if’t be true;But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,Will do as if for surety.”Othello 1.3.377-381
This time he says he hates Othello because he heard Othello has hooked up with his wife. The second instance of jealousy he is talking to Roderigo and says this “One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, A fellow almost damn’d in a fair wife;That never set a squadron in the field,Nor the division of a battle knows More than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric, Wherein the toged consuls can propose As masterly as he: mere prattle, without practise,Is all his soldiership. But he, sir, had the election:And I, of whom his eyes had seen the proof At Rhodes, at Cyprus and on other grounds Christian and heathen, must be be-lee’d and calm’d By debtor and creditor: this counter-caster,He, in good time, must his lieutenant be,”Othello 1.1.21-34 in this quote he demonstrates jealousy by saying that he doesn’t like Othello because he didn’t chose him to get the promotion, instead he picked Cassio which he says knows more about numbers than warfare.
My last example of jealousy is when he is talking about a plan of his ”Cassio’s a proper man: let me see now:To get his place and to plume up my willIn double knavery–How, how? Let’s see:–After some time, to abuse Othello’s ear That he is too familiar with his wife.He hath a person and a smooth dispose To be suspected, framed to make women false.The Moor is of a free and open nature,That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,And will as tenderly be led by the noseAs asses areI have’t. It is engendered.
Hell and night Must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light”Othello 1.3.383-395 Here he shares us his plot to betray Othello by making him believe that Cassio is having an affair with his wife so that in the end Othello will want to kill or demote Cassio so that Iago can take his place. This is exactly what a person with narcissistic personality disorder would do, Take advantage of others to move forward in life and/or to get what you want, with no remorse toward the ones you stepped on to get there.Psycom’s Article on Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
How did Iago’s actions affect others and could they have been stopped? Any death in this book was caused maybe by not his own hands but Iago surely did have a word in their deaths. The first and second victim of Iago is Montano and Roderigo his trusting friend. Why did they die? You guessed it, Iago. Iago tells Roderigo to go kill Cassio which Roderigo thinks is a good idea because then he has a better chance at getting Desdemona. When they are fighting Cassio strikes Roderigo in the leg and Iago leaves. on his way out he stabs Cassio in the leg which put him on the ground. Montano tries to restrain Cassio but instead Cassio fatally stabs Montano. When Roderigo leaves Iago kills him because an Injured Roderigo could expose his whole plan. Later Iago goes and checks on Cassio’s wound that he caused to make it look like he didn’t do it.
How could this have been stopped? According to Psychology Today’s article on ‘How to Spot and Stop Narcissists” one of the best ways to stop narcissistic behavior from affecting you is to reason with yourself about the real outcome of what you are going to do for the other person and to always have a plan B for what they are telling you to do. If Roderigo would have not done what Iago told him to do without thinking about it there was no way Iago would have killed these people including Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, Montano, and Roderigo. In the words of Emilia “They are all but stomachs, and we all but food;To eat us hungerly, and when they are full,They belch us.” Othello 3.4.121-122 keep your space.
