Psychopathy in Othello and 1984
Psychopaths are mentally ill individuals who display violent social behavior, low empathy and disinhibited, bold behavior. An obsessive desire for control, mastery of psychological warfare and the willingness to hurt others for personal gain are defining characteristics of this disorder. These traits are seen in some of the characters in William Shakespeare’s Othello and George Orwell’s 1984. Iago and the characters that form the Party both display these psychopathic tendencies.
Psychopaths are similar to sociopaths but are less impulsive: they are more controlled and controlling. In Othello, Iago carefully controls the flow of information to make Othello believe Desdemona is cheating on him. After taking the handkerchief that Othello had gifted …show more content…
Iago did not mention anything about how he found the handkerchief or how it ended up with Cassio; he just asked Othello if it was missing in order to stir up suspicion about Desdemona’s supposed infidelities. Later on, after being accused of killing his own wife and masterminding the deaths of Othello and Desdemona, Iago tells the Senator Lodovico, “Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. / From this time forth I never will speak word” (V.ii.214-215). With this final line, Iago is still protecting himself, still controlled enough to limit the flow of any information that could incriminate himself. Similarly, in 1984, the Party controls what information its citizens can access. The party’s rationale for this is that “if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed – if all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth” (18). The leadership of The Party is desperate for greater control over the people and is willing to lie to them to get it: these are strong psychopathic personality properties which are
Psychopaths are mentally ill individuals who display violent social behavior, low empathy and disinhibited, bold behavior. An obsessive desire for control, mastery of psychological warfare and the willingness to hurt others for personal gain are defining characteristics of this disorder. These traits are seen in some of the characters in William Shakespeare’s Othello and George Orwell’s 1984. Iago and the characters that form the Party both display these psychopathic tendencies.
Psychopaths are similar to sociopaths but are less impulsive: they are more controlled and controlling. In Othello, Iago carefully controls the flow of information to make Othello believe Desdemona is cheating on him. After taking the handkerchief that Othello had gifted …show more content…
Iago did not mention anything about how he found the handkerchief or how it ended up with Cassio; he just asked Othello if it was missing in order to stir up suspicion about Desdemona’s supposed infidelities. Later on, after being accused of killing his own wife and masterminding the deaths of Othello and Desdemona, Iago tells the Senator Lodovico, “Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. / From this time forth I never will speak word” (V.ii.214-215). With this final line, Iago is still protecting himself, still controlled enough to limit the flow of any information that could incriminate himself. Similarly, in 1984, the Party controls what information its citizens can access. The party’s rationale for this is that “if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed – if all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth” (18). The leadership of The Party is desperate for greater control over the people and is willing to lie to them to get it: these are strong psychopathic personality properties which are