Othello Pathology of evil
In Shakespeare’s play Othello there are many topics that are discussed but the topic that has the biggest impact is evil. From this the pathology of evil can be pondered upon specifically when looking at Iago. The pathology of evil highlights that evil is an unforeseen disease proving that once you are infected it is impossible to fully recover.
Firstly evil is developed and started to fulfill a specific purpose, the disease starts out small and only effects the primary host. In the play Othello Iago first turns evil to get the position of lieutenant. Iago says,
"In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,/ [o]ff-capp’d to him; and, by the faith of man,/ I know my price; I am worth no worse a place/.…One Michael Cassio, a Florentine..., [t]hat never set a squadron in the field/ [n]or the division of a battle knows/ [m]ore than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric." (Othello, 1.1.9-24) This shows that Iago is expressing his anger by saying he knows he is worthy and should not have gotten a position lower than lieutenant and since he is an ensign he is angry. This quote also shows how Iago tried so hard to become the lieutenant and when Iago says ‘I know my price I am worth no worse a place’ it shows this is the motive and the birth of evil to take over Iago. Next we see Iago talking about Cassio and how he is not even worthy. Iago is getting angry because he knows that Cassio has no experience of being in a battle. Also over here we see that Iago is again expressing his anger because it shows that he is angry because he is a lot more experienced than Cassio and knows that in reality he deserves more and so due to this the evil desire has erupted within him. In addition while reading the beginning of the play Othello it so happens that Iago always lists his motives for committing the evil acts he so chooses for instance when he says, “…I do suspect the lusty Moor/ [has] [jumped] into my seat;... [t]ill I am even'd with him…, [by] [putting] the moor…into a
Firstly evil is developed and started to fulfill a specific purpose, the disease starts out small and only effects the primary host. In the play Othello Iago first turns evil to get the position of lieutenant. Iago says,
"In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,/ [o]ff-capp’d to him; and, by the faith of man,/ I know my price; I am worth no worse a place/.…One Michael Cassio, a Florentine..., [t]hat never set a squadron in the field/ [n]or the division of a battle knows/ [m]ore than a spinster; unless the bookish theoric." (Othello, 1.1.9-24) This shows that Iago is expressing his anger by saying he knows he is worthy and should not have gotten a position lower than lieutenant and since he is an ensign he is angry. This quote also shows how Iago tried so hard to become the lieutenant and when Iago says ‘I know my price I am worth no worse a place’ it shows this is the motive and the birth of evil to take over Iago. Next we see Iago talking about Cassio and how he is not even worthy. Iago is getting angry because he knows that Cassio has no experience of being in a battle. Also over here we see that Iago is again expressing his anger because it shows that he is angry because he is a lot more experienced than Cassio and knows that in reality he deserves more and so due to this the evil desire has erupted within him. In addition while reading the beginning of the play Othello it so happens that Iago always lists his motives for committing the evil acts he so chooses for instance when he says, “…I do suspect the lusty Moor/ [has] [jumped] into my seat;... [t]ill I am even'd with him…, [by] [putting] the moor…into a