Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Nature vs nurture psychology research paper
Nature vs nurture psychology research paper
Both nature and nurture behaviors
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Nature vs nurture psychology research paper
As boldly stated by Alfred Pennyworth in The Dark Knight, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” They find pleasure in others’ pain and misfortune. In Shakespeare’ Othello, Iago portrays this exact character type. Whether a result of nature, nurture, or jealousy, Iago bases his actions solely in an effort to destroy Othello.
Countless scientists and philosophers have, for years, debated the argument between whether nature or nurture determines how a person acts. From Freud, to Charles Darwin, to even Shakespeare himself, the debate has continued for centuries. The nature side of the argument, a much more scientific approach, states that a person’s being is set in stone from the day he or she is born. Genetics play a pivotal role. By this argument, Iago was destined from birth to possess these evil tendencies. Should this be true, Iago would have likely acted this way his entire life, basing his actions on trying to cause some sort of misfortune upon others. No outside influence caused this; it was hard-wired into him.
Conversely, Iago may be this type of man as a result of some experience or his environment. Did his father demonstrate similar qualities toward Iago during his childhood? Was he the victim of some sort of verbal or physical abuse? Of course the audience will never know, but these are the types of experiences that could, according to the nurture side of the argument, imbue these tendencies into Iago’s being. John Locke was the first to propose tabula rasa, or blank slate, proposing that a person’s character is a result of the environment. From birth, he or she is a blank slate, waiting for outside influence to shape his or her life. Iago’s environment of wealth, education, and social status could easily co...
... middle of paper ...
...how easily people hand out their trust in others. People want to be liked, to be accepted, to feel as if the world is good. But when Iago and countless others take advantage of this trust, it loses its meaning completely.
Surely, Iago’s underlying motivation for destroying others’ lives will never be revealed. There are too many possibilities, and narrowing it down to just one single reason would be absurd. But we do know enough about Iago to determine that, regardless of his motivation, he is willing to tear down any wall in his way and ruin any life to gain what he wants.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William, and Alvin B. Kernan. The tragedy of Othello : the Moor of Venice. New York: Signet Classic, 1998. Print.
Campobasso, Paul. Suite 101. N.p., 10 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2013. .
...is no remorse in his answer. In fact, he asserts and defends his behavior. He even has the nerve to kill his wife. Iago clearly enjoys inflicting pain onto others. This is proven repeatedly, as he continues to hurt, manipulate, and use others. This is also proven when Iago says, “As he shall smile, Othello shall go mad” (IV.I.117). Iago is sadistic. He does not think twice about his actions, nor does he care about the repercussions and consequences that occur as a result. This also is a symptom of a psychopathic personality, which Iago certainly displays.
“I am not what I am,” proclaims one of Shakespeare’s darkest and most enigmatic villains, Iago, in the tragedy Othello. Iago’s journey for revenge enables him to become capable of immoral acts, and whilst his malevolence excites us, we are no more intrigued by his attributes than we are of the play’s tragic hero, Othellos’. Rather, both characters’ confrontation with jealousy and their subsequent moral demise as a result of failing to control such an emotion provides the true excitement for audiences. Iago’s spiteful manipulation of Othello makes him a multifaceted character — whose corrupt attributes make the audience examine their own morality. However, the same can be said of Othello; his failure to withstand Iago’s ‘pouring of pestilence’
Iago, the antagonist of Shakespeare’s work, Othello, is often considered purely evil or sociopathic. At first glance, Iago appears to be a static, two-dimensional villain, but he is much more. Shakespeare, renown for his awareness of the human condition, leaves many important aspects of Iago’s life up to interpretation. In published works and critical interpretations, Iago is commonly attached to a myriad of mental illnesses and personality disorders. Because it seems that Iago’s life revolves around Othello and Desdemona, it is understandable how people may suggest that Iago is in love with Othello, or that he is a psychopath with no true motives. Shakespeare never discloses much about Iago’s past, raising the questions:
In Othello, Iago is Shakespeare’s most malicious character and serves as a vehicle to these two themes. Iago despises Othello; he has a strong will to destroy Othello’s life, yet the motive behind his plan goes unexplained. Iago is a great manipulator of the tongue and lies to everyone in order to advance his plan; however, every character in the play considers Iago an honest character, and Othello even associates Iago with light and eyesight. Othello continuously asks Iago to explain or make something clearer. Until the very end, Iago appears to be honest and helpful to the other characters, but underneath this seemingly harmless façade, Iago is a demon with the strongest will; he will stop at nothing until he ruins Othello’s life. Iago uses a positive appearance to enact his
Shakespeare, William. "The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice" The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stanley Wells & |Gary Taylor. New York/London, W.W. Norton Company,1997. 2100-2174
Have you ever met a devil who does evil for his own sake? Iago in William Shakespeare's Othello could seem like he has good motives, but I feel that he uses them as his excuses. The first thing that I did was uncovered Iago's motives. Iago is the most controversial character in Othello. He is able to keep his true thoughts and motives from everyone. Are his motives only excuses for his actions? Iago pretends to have so many motives that they seem more like excuses. Iago then uses these excuses to justify his actions, which are pure evil. I also feel that Iago has motives and actions that cause his actions. Does Iago have many different excuses, or does he only have one? This paper will prove that Iago has one clear motive and reason for his madness. Iago is not looking for justification that causes him to act the way he does. There is much more though to Iago. He is not a man of only excuses, he has goals with his motives, which causes him to act the way he does.
Iago is a twenty- eight years old Caucasian married man and he is soldier in the Venetian army. Iago is viewed as modest, honest, and a good friend to people in public. People refer to him as “honest Iago” which lead them to trust him. Iago plans to destroy Othello by manipulating him to believe that his wife is being unfaithful to him with his promoted lieutenant Cassio, a position Iago wanted to have. Although the scandal that Iago came up with is a complete lie, Othello ends up believing him. Iago uses his ability to talk to people in order to accomplish his plan of destroying Othello because he wasn’t granted the position of the Venice army. (Sorto 1)
The play "Othello" by William Shakespeare is based on an Italian story in Giraldi Cinthio's Hecatommithi (Groliers). In "Othello" we encounter Iago, one of Shakespeare's most evil characters. Iago is an ensign in Othello's army and is jealous of Cassio's promotion to Lieutenant. Through deception and appearance, we see unfolded a plethora of lies and clever schemes. The astonishing thing about Iago is that he seems to make up his malicious schemes as he goes along without any forethought. Noted writer Samuel Taylor Coleridge describes Iago's plan as "motive-hunting of a motiveless malignity" (Scott 413). Iago seizes every opportunity to further advance his plan to his advantage. Greed plays a major role as a motive for his various schemes. Throughout the story, Iago portrays himself as a Satan figure. In many ways, Iago can compare with Satan.
Iago's manipulative nature has a profound effect on the decisions made by other characters in Shakespeare's ‘Othello’. Through his relations with those around him Shakespear characterizes him as a man full of malice, vengeance and dishonesty that is wholly inspired by jealousy. Furthermore it would appear that Iago has an exceptional ability to scheme, a talent which he uses to snake his way into the lives of others and exploit them through their weaknesses. Whether he does this for profit or for pleasure is a separate issue.
Iago had a super objective to benefit himself in any way possible. In his eyes he was superior to everyone around him and that is what spurred on his motivation. Oddly enough, at one point he had achieved his goal, but as Shakespeare seemed to hint in the first scene Iago was not experienced enough with this caliber of manipulation. Things inevitably got out of control. Iago was the Shakespearean definition of an egomaniac.
Throughout history, there have been many human beings whom have been seen as either a hero or a villain. In their childhood, these people must had obstacles that were in their way, causing each individual to either work harder or give up. People, however; must understand that each individual has a potential in achieving their goals, but if one is mistreated or deceived due to jealousy, resentment, hatred, or ambition, it can lead to many catastrophic events. People who have pride and arrogance do not want to have equals, rather they want to see their victims suffer. These people have no difficulty in achieving their goals due to the fact that their victims have too innocent a nature to suspect the nefarious motives of their enemies. In this tragedy, Othello, Shakespeare has created a villain who behaves in this manner. Iago’s hatred, method of revenge, and vengeful hatred are the reasons of the lives lost in this play and the reasons that lead to Iago’s downfall.
too open, nave, and gullible, Iago plays on his weaknesses. brings about his downfall, and he kills himself. This causes the suffering of innocent people like Desdemona, Emilia, Cassio and Roderigo. The audience also feel sorry for Othello and this creates a sense of wastage at the end. Iago’s main aim is to bring about Othello’s downfall.
When people fail to understand themselves, they crumble in the presence of evil. This is the main reason for the tragic outcome of Shakespeare’s Othello, where the righteous Othello and faithful Desdemona ultimately fall victim to Iago’s vicious and cunning plan. If one defines evil to be the conscious desire to produce suffering where suffering is not necessary, then Iago is evil incarnate. The real reason Iago plots the downfall of Othello is never made clear. Given the fact that Iago openly reveals his intentions and feelings in monologues to the audience, the lack of a clear motive suggests Iago wants to destroy Othello out of hatred. Part of the reason Iago succeeds in his Machiavellian ploy is because he can identify flaws in other characters
Iago’s magnificent intelligence and superiority make him a very intriguing character. Iago is not just any villain that comes into a town, with a black cape and knife that scares everyone, he destroys and “kills” by using creative tactics that could only be thought of by someone who is brilliant. He deceives, strategizes, and twists the truth with amazing ease. Iago maintains his on point intelligence by staying completely unconflicted about being evil. Iago is completely committed as he states, “[He will] turn her virtue into pitch, / And… make the net / That shall enmesh them all” (II. Ii. 366-368). Iago is considered a cross between God and the Devil, as shown in the, “Divinity of Hell!” (!!. ii. 356)
So crafted is Iago, to which he may take from so many a part of their lives and twist them into a knot, until he is the only person left untangled. He is present from the beginning of the play to the end. The question we ask is why does he hate everyone so much? What can make a man hate someone so much as to slaughter his comrades and trick them into such madness? The answer falls first in his failure at receiving a promotion to lieutenant. Beyond this, we can find a deeper thought into Iago's mind of a possible suspicion that Emilia, his wife, was having an affair with Othello. Lastly, we all can see that Iago, though serious, enjoys the anger he exhibits. Iago is a troubled man with one mission, to destroy everyone, and he uses his immense hate from the wrongs against him to establish this.