Lago’s Character as a Literal Example of a Psychopath
Lago’s character in Othello is literally an example of a psychopath. Lago is the most interesting, honest, and exotic character in the tragic play, “Othello,” and he is the major driving force that pushes the rest of the characters to their tragic end. Every character appears to bear a unique complexity, and none of them is entirely good or bad. Reading through the play, Lago is found to have the ability to manipulate other characters to perform actions to benefit him and achieve his goals. This essay intends to categorize Lago as psychopath in Othello who outsmarts other characters in the play to advance his goals.
From the beginning of the play, friction between various characters within the play is evident as problems emerge during the scramble for leadership. The friction occurs because certain characters express high emotions towards others in response to certain actions and decisions. In the first scene, both Lago and Roderigo appear angered by Othello after Cassio was awarded a promotion (Shakespeare line 21-29). In this incident, Logo is quoted lamenting over a missed opportunity of being promoted to a lieutenancy. The reader gets to learn that Lago wanted and begged for lieutenancy from the very beginning.
From that point of power struggles, Lago retains his anger and makes efforts to reach out to Othello and his friends. He says, “preferment goes by letter and affection, and not by old gradation, where each second stood heir to the first” (Shakespeare 33-38). This statement indicates that Logo’s perspective of another individual being promoted instead of him was an extremely offensive action. His statement that not everybody can be a master nor not all masters can be followed brushed an indirect insult over Othello regarding the action to appoint another person to the lieutenancy position. Being in the position of a master was Lago’s dream. He tricked the emotions of others but was also not worthy of being trusted. This is because other characters that trusted him ended up being deceived.
Lago never tells things directly and expresses things as having happened in dreams while communicating jealous, envy, and hate, despite that he maintained a close relationship with other characters in the play. Despite that he spreads evil in others, he would not wish others to act on him similarly. In his soliloquy, as evident in the first scene, Lago unveils a plot for Othello’s downfall (Nostbakken 26). He does not even trust his wife and suspects her of cheating with Othello and sees it as a way of pinning Othello. He also develops a feeling that Cassio admired his wife and would use the collective allegations to downfall the two men. He is quoted saying,“For I fear Michael Cassio with my nightcap too” (Shakespeare line 327). Lago tricks Cassio into drinking because he knew he had the weakness. Cassio later fights with Rodrigo and Montano, and this leads him to be fired by Othello.
Lago is a smart player. He is aware of Desdemona’s love with Rodrigo and swears that he would do anything to win Desdemona as her own love. As a smart person, Lago is capable of recognizing the advantages of trust and applies it to achieve his goals towards other characters in the play. The term “Honest Lago” is commonly used to identify with Lago’s character of trust (Nostbakken 31). He is even quoted as accrediting himself as an honest man. He easily abuses trust when dealing with others. He takes advantage of other’s trust to advance his moves. Lago poisons the thoughts of others by creating ideas mind without complicating himself as he is thought to be playing the Villain.
Lago plays Rodrigo a fool by benefiting from the gifts intended for Desdemona. On realizing the trick, Rodrigo begins to question Lago’s honesty, and he is quoted as saying (Shakespeare line 189). Through the tricks, Rodrigo is lead to his demise under the hands of Logo, who plays smart enough and uses Cassio to end his life. Cassio also tends to follow Lago blindly but thinks that Lago is trying to help him. Cassio is befriending Logo the whole time without learning that Logo is planning his demise. On one night, Lago convinces Cassio to take another drink while he knows very well it will make him excessively drunk and cause trouble. The fate of excessive drinking is Cassio’s termination as a lieutenant because of the misbehavior after taking the drink (Nostbakken 36). He behaves foolishly, and this act costs him his respectable position. The events reveal how Lago is playing cards to advance his agendas and benefit from other characters such as Cassio.
Lago is obsessed with achieving short term goals and does not care how his moves impact on other characters in the play. The impacts of his actions are irrelevant and are helpless to others. His actions are seen as revenge against Othello for not attaining the position he required in which Othello appointed another person. He filled Othello’s heart with the intention of causing revenge and plays around issues of honesty and dishonesty over other characters to continue advancing his agenda in the play (Nostbakken 41). All the negative emotions that Othello is said to be felt are generated from a hearsay point of view, and even Desdemona could not find explanations for Othello’s actions.
Lago’s character in Othello is, indeed, a, literally, and example of a psychopath. Through the turn of events in the novel, it is clear to say that Lago uses his exotic character to downplay other characters in the play and advance is motives. As such, the novel achieves its purpose through Lago’s character, which he uses to shortchange other characters and achieve his personal agendas.
