How Is Iago A Sociopath

In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Iago plays the evil villain whom everyone deems trustworthy. Throughout the play Iago is responsible for the deaths of many characters including Desdemona, Othello, Roderigo, and even his own wife Emilia. He is motivated mostly by his wicked ways and enjoyment of seeing others in a state of distraughtment. Iago constantly uses his highly respected reputation for malicious purposes. His ability for manipulating those around him in order to benefit himself makes him a powerful and successful character. Some people may classify Iago as pure evil, but due to the traits he possesses throughout the play psychiatrists would diagnose him with a personality disorder. According to dictionary.com it defines

Although, according to urban dictionary it states, “A sociopath is a person with a personality disorder. It is a person who would occasionally show charm and charisma and only care about themselves. They would lie and blame stuff they did on other people and always attempt to hurt or harass other people” (Sociopath). Iago shows signs of being a sociopath by him being untrustworthy, manipulative, and showing a lack of emotion. Nobody knows Iago’s past history, but from what he reveals about himself to the readers one could only think he did not have the best childhood growing up. Iago is someone who controls people to make himself look better, but once they have no use to him, then Iago befriends them by exterminating them. Through Iago’s well thought out words and actions he is deceiving to many. Through close analysis of Iago’s character traits, his persistency and persuasiveness are key factors in acknowledging his

Othello, a general in the military, appoints Cassio as lieutenant. Iago longed for the position of lieutenant and feels as if he deserved it over Cassio due to his military background. Iago and Othello both fought together on the battlefield making Iago feel as if he is worthy of the position. This makes one question if Iago went through a traumatic experience while being in the military or if his evil traits were never apparent due to Iago having the power to take someone’s life during battle. On the other hand, Cassio has no knowledge of the military except for what he reads in the books making Iago displeased when he heard that Cassio was appointed to the position. Iago believes that Cassio will be of no use to the military since he is a numbers guy. In all reality Iago really wants Othello’s position as general. For someone who loves to manipulate the minds of others being a general would give him the advantage of total control. To a sociopath, people are puppets to mess with and manipulate. In their eyes the world is a circus, and the sociopath is the ringmaster (Peterson). He has the ability to manipulate and control whoever he wants and make them do whatever he wants whenever he chooses. To Iago life is just a game that he plays for his own amusement and personal gain. If Iago was to gain a higher position like lieutenant or general, it would give him a better image to