Post by Wanzer on Apr 8, 2011 19:48:45 GMT -4
‘Honest Iago’: Humanity’s Dark Side
It is said that inside of every fat man is a thin one trying to get out; this saying is partially correct, but the basis is not about fat and thin. Instead it should be said that inside of every good man is an evil one trying to claw its way out. Every day the media feeds society more news about war, debauchery and general sin; afterward, the media paints the portraitures as horrible men and women, but are they? Can any human being be at fault for their desires and behavior? Psychologists explore this question even today and use the Nature versus Nurture debate to illustrate how children develop; however, these two schools are split on whether the parents’ genes or their actions affect a child. Some even say that both affect how the child grows, so perhaps a man such as Iago, from Shakespeare’s Othello, has justification for his actions? After all it can not be his fault if his parents’ genes are bad, or his society is poor. Sigmund Freud, the father of modern Psychology, says that all humans have desires that can undermine their best intentions. If any man suffers from this more than Iago, he has yet to be seen; however, even this can not completely justify his actions. One must look to another source to see how many flaws humanity has and how it is inherently malevolent and voyeuristic. The Bible tells the story of God’s chosen and is has been the center of debate for years, modern culture calls them just myths while others call it the true word; however, even if the Bible is just a collection of myths, the stories of the book provide a look back to ancient beliefs. There are three stories that nearly justify Iago’s actions: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, David and Bathsheba. Shakespeare’s Othello features Iago, a man guilty of malevolence and voyeurism, using modern psychology and Biblical text one can possibly justify his actions.
Psychology is made up of numerous schools and structures and has various figures that preach different doctrines. One such doctrine is the school of developmental psychology, which speaks about two separate possibilities for human misconduct. The first of these two theories in developmental psychology is Nature; however, this does not refer to human actions instead it refers to genetics. Nature in this sense refers to the genetic differences between members of the same species (Plomin 5). When thinking about this one has to go to the point of conception of any living creature, as a human has a system in place from the moment of birth. Inside of every human being is DNA, a set of four amino-acids, which creates the base of every human being; however, every DNA sequence is not unique. The parents of any individual transmits their DNA down to the offspring, in this sense offspring are ‘clones’ of their parents (Plomin 7). Those who back the Nature side of developmental psychology say that human personality is an extension of the parents', so how could Iago be at fault for his parents genes? Iago has no control over his conception just as other human do not. The traits that develop in human personality are not all hardwired from birth, but are continually present in the human race. Developmental psychologists believe that natural selection produces the best creatures to survive in demand to the environment (Plomin 16). In human society if one is to survive there is little room for compassion and well-to-do attitudes. Traits involving jealousy and the ability to rationalize the suffering of others for ones own game are necessary for the higher echelons of business. The world today is ruthless and to one must be ruthless as well to survive in it. Every human has a predisposition to be vicious and manipulative from birth. Iago is in custody for his own actions and reverting to his baser nature, but can he be to blame for it? Iago acts as creation demands he does, even though taking it a step too far. Developmental psychology has another branch that offers a different explanation though.
Developmental psychology has a debate between the principle of Nature and the principle of nurture. Nurture states that organisms are products of their environment and will react as they witness others do. The best model is currently the ‘O-S-R’ model, or organism-stimulus-response. O-S-R is often a reference to experiences as it focuses on the interactions between an organism and the environment (Plomin 29). A great deal of Iago’s actions appear to stem from this psychological theory. Shakespeare’s portrayal of the Elizabethan Venice and Cyprus shows racism and prejudice around ever corner; even the officials are prone to it. Evidence of this comes from Brabantio, a senator in Venice: “O thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my daughter? Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her!” (Holt, Rinehart and Winston 34). Brabantio illustrates the prejudices prevalent during the time period, so does it not make sense for Iago to be angry? Iago is now the servant to a Moor, someone he knows to be inferior to himself. Should Iago be content to be a slave to a man whom his city loathes? Adding insult to his injury is Iago’s lack of advancement under Othello; instead he is still ancient while Cassio is a lieutenant. Iago is suddenly not out of the picture of advancement and after his pleading, but there is something he can do. He can follow examples of his family, city and peers; Iago’s actions are common for the period and influential to the ‘bio-ecological’ method of psychology. This method states that a child will shape itself after what is around it; parents’ actions, the actions of others around them and the society itself will shape a person (Plomin 38). Can Iago really be at fault for his actions when his society applauds the put down of Moors? Iago is acting as his society decrees is reasonable and on what he witnesses around him daily; justification comes from the fact that he knows it is occurring and proceeds to continue it. His actions are a reflection of his society, but is there something darker at work here? A majority of humans in Venice have prejudice, but there something else at work that manipulates them.
Sigmund Freud has a different answer to Iago’s dilemma, he states that Iago is a tool for his Id to control and that his Ego is too weak to contend. These three items: the Id, the Ego and the Superego are the three stages of conscious thought; however, only the Ego is in control and it is where cognitive thought occurs (Freud 17). The Id and the Superego are thoughts that develop differently, the Id holds all human desire; for example, the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, sloth, wrath, vanity, envy and greed would all be part of the Id. All humans have an Id and some people have their center of logic here instead of at the Ego (Frued 22). Iago is obviously a puppet to his own desires; he acts as he sees fit, never thinking on the repercussions of his actions. Iago’s Id is a force of nature, but then again so is everyone’s; every human has an Id and every human is in a sense a puppet to it. No one can say that they at one point have not given into their desires; no one can say they have always done the right thing. The Id is a malevolent force which controls humans and nobody can say they are not. Politicians, government leaders and even the police have been in scandal after scandal in recent years. These are the best that we have to offer, so how can anyone assume they are above the Id’s influence? Any young man can look at another woman and think, I want that; any young girl can look at another girl and feel envy over looks or intelligence. Iago’s actions are his desires, the administration comes from the Id; however humans can deny their Id at times. Iago chasing after his own desires is normal, but the act of murder can not be. Any man or woman can say that this has gone too far and cease, but Iago choose not to. The Id’s dominance is a powerful force, but humanity can be just as strong at times. Though there are plenty of cases where the best fail at doing so, all one needs to do to see this is open the bible.
The Judeo-Christian creation story is familiar to all; the deity, God, descends from the Heavens and illuminates the universe; afterwards, he proceeds to create the Earth. The first two humans, Adam and Eve, are his final creations and he gives one command, do not eat of this tree. Scholars and Historians generally call this the ‘Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil’ and the source of the original sin. Now in the Garden of Eden everything is perfect, but there came the serpent. The serpent being the slyest of all animals approaches Eve and tempts her to eat the apple saying it will make her like God; Eve wants this and sees the tree to be ‘a delight to the eyes.’ So she partakes of the fruit and gives some to Adam. (New Oxford Annotated Bible, Gen. 3. 1-7). Adam and Eve are God’s first creations, the prime example of what a human should be. Iago is a generation far from them, in a society of sin; how could Iago succeed where his ancestors could not? Iago happens to be fighting his own desires for advancement and voyeuristic tendencies; however, Eve’s only temptation comes from a fruit. Eve does not know sin, she has no reason to disobey the word of God, yet she does for the sake of pride. Eve’s sin is that she wants to be like God; Iago’s however, is a retribution for injuries put upon him. If the first humans can not resist the temptation of an apple, how can Iago resist the temptation of revenge? Adam and Eve both were failures in God’s eye for their actions, but their offspring demonstrate the fall of man.
It is said that inside of every fat man is a thin one trying to get out; this saying is partially correct, but the basis is not about fat and thin. Instead it should be said that inside of every good man is an evil one trying to claw its way out. Every day the media feeds society more news about war, debauchery and general sin; afterward, the media paints the portraitures as horrible men and women, but are they? Can any human being be at fault for their desires and behavior? Psychologists explore this question even today and use the Nature versus Nurture debate to illustrate how children develop; however, these two schools are split on whether the parents’ genes or their actions affect a child. Some even say that both affect how the child grows, so perhaps a man such as Iago, from Shakespeare’s Othello, has justification for his actions? After all it can not be his fault if his parents’ genes are bad, or his society is poor. Sigmund Freud, the father of modern Psychology, says that all humans have desires that can undermine their best intentions. If any man suffers from this more than Iago, he has yet to be seen; however, even this can not completely justify his actions. One must look to another source to see how many flaws humanity has and how it is inherently malevolent and voyeuristic. The Bible tells the story of God’s chosen and is has been the center of debate for years, modern culture calls them just myths while others call it the true word; however, even if the Bible is just a collection of myths, the stories of the book provide a look back to ancient beliefs. There are three stories that nearly justify Iago’s actions: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, David and Bathsheba. Shakespeare’s Othello features Iago, a man guilty of malevolence and voyeurism, using modern psychology and Biblical text one can possibly justify his actions.
Psychology is made up of numerous schools and structures and has various figures that preach different doctrines. One such doctrine is the school of developmental psychology, which speaks about two separate possibilities for human misconduct. The first of these two theories in developmental psychology is Nature; however, this does not refer to human actions instead it refers to genetics. Nature in this sense refers to the genetic differences between members of the same species (Plomin 5). When thinking about this one has to go to the point of conception of any living creature, as a human has a system in place from the moment of birth. Inside of every human being is DNA, a set of four amino-acids, which creates the base of every human being; however, every DNA sequence is not unique. The parents of any individual transmits their DNA down to the offspring, in this sense offspring are ‘clones’ of their parents (Plomin 7). Those who back the Nature side of developmental psychology say that human personality is an extension of the parents', so how could Iago be at fault for his parents genes? Iago has no control over his conception just as other human do not. The traits that develop in human personality are not all hardwired from birth, but are continually present in the human race. Developmental psychologists believe that natural selection produces the best creatures to survive in demand to the environment (Plomin 16). In human society if one is to survive there is little room for compassion and well-to-do attitudes. Traits involving jealousy and the ability to rationalize the suffering of others for ones own game are necessary for the higher echelons of business. The world today is ruthless and to one must be ruthless as well to survive in it. Every human has a predisposition to be vicious and manipulative from birth. Iago is in custody for his own actions and reverting to his baser nature, but can he be to blame for it? Iago acts as creation demands he does, even though taking it a step too far. Developmental psychology has another branch that offers a different explanation though.
Developmental psychology has a debate between the principle of Nature and the principle of nurture. Nurture states that organisms are products of their environment and will react as they witness others do. The best model is currently the ‘O-S-R’ model, or organism-stimulus-response. O-S-R is often a reference to experiences as it focuses on the interactions between an organism and the environment (Plomin 29). A great deal of Iago’s actions appear to stem from this psychological theory. Shakespeare’s portrayal of the Elizabethan Venice and Cyprus shows racism and prejudice around ever corner; even the officials are prone to it. Evidence of this comes from Brabantio, a senator in Venice: “O thou foul thief, where hast thou stowed my daughter? Damned as thou art, thou hast enchanted her!” (Holt, Rinehart and Winston 34). Brabantio illustrates the prejudices prevalent during the time period, so does it not make sense for Iago to be angry? Iago is now the servant to a Moor, someone he knows to be inferior to himself. Should Iago be content to be a slave to a man whom his city loathes? Adding insult to his injury is Iago’s lack of advancement under Othello; instead he is still ancient while Cassio is a lieutenant. Iago is suddenly not out of the picture of advancement and after his pleading, but there is something he can do. He can follow examples of his family, city and peers; Iago’s actions are common for the period and influential to the ‘bio-ecological’ method of psychology. This method states that a child will shape itself after what is around it; parents’ actions, the actions of others around them and the society itself will shape a person (Plomin 38). Can Iago really be at fault for his actions when his society applauds the put down of Moors? Iago is acting as his society decrees is reasonable and on what he witnesses around him daily; justification comes from the fact that he knows it is occurring and proceeds to continue it. His actions are a reflection of his society, but is there something darker at work here? A majority of humans in Venice have prejudice, but there something else at work that manipulates them.
Sigmund Freud has a different answer to Iago’s dilemma, he states that Iago is a tool for his Id to control and that his Ego is too weak to contend. These three items: the Id, the Ego and the Superego are the three stages of conscious thought; however, only the Ego is in control and it is where cognitive thought occurs (Freud 17). The Id and the Superego are thoughts that develop differently, the Id holds all human desire; for example, the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, sloth, wrath, vanity, envy and greed would all be part of the Id. All humans have an Id and some people have their center of logic here instead of at the Ego (Frued 22). Iago is obviously a puppet to his own desires; he acts as he sees fit, never thinking on the repercussions of his actions. Iago’s Id is a force of nature, but then again so is everyone’s; every human has an Id and every human is in a sense a puppet to it. No one can say that they at one point have not given into their desires; no one can say they have always done the right thing. The Id is a malevolent force which controls humans and nobody can say they are not. Politicians, government leaders and even the police have been in scandal after scandal in recent years. These are the best that we have to offer, so how can anyone assume they are above the Id’s influence? Any young man can look at another woman and think, I want that; any young girl can look at another girl and feel envy over looks or intelligence. Iago’s actions are his desires, the administration comes from the Id; however humans can deny their Id at times. Iago chasing after his own desires is normal, but the act of murder can not be. Any man or woman can say that this has gone too far and cease, but Iago choose not to. The Id’s dominance is a powerful force, but humanity can be just as strong at times. Though there are plenty of cases where the best fail at doing so, all one needs to do to see this is open the bible.
The Judeo-Christian creation story is familiar to all; the deity, God, descends from the Heavens and illuminates the universe; afterwards, he proceeds to create the Earth. The first two humans, Adam and Eve, are his final creations and he gives one command, do not eat of this tree. Scholars and Historians generally call this the ‘Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil’ and the source of the original sin. Now in the Garden of Eden everything is perfect, but there came the serpent. The serpent being the slyest of all animals approaches Eve and tempts her to eat the apple saying it will make her like God; Eve wants this and sees the tree to be ‘a delight to the eyes.’ So she partakes of the fruit and gives some to Adam. (New Oxford Annotated Bible, Gen. 3. 1-7). Adam and Eve are God’s first creations, the prime example of what a human should be. Iago is a generation far from them, in a society of sin; how could Iago succeed where his ancestors could not? Iago happens to be fighting his own desires for advancement and voyeuristic tendencies; however, Eve’s only temptation comes from a fruit. Eve does not know sin, she has no reason to disobey the word of God, yet she does for the sake of pride. Eve’s sin is that she wants to be like God; Iago’s however, is a retribution for injuries put upon him. If the first humans can not resist the temptation of an apple, how can Iago resist the temptation of revenge? Adam and Eve both were failures in God’s eye for their actions, but their offspring demonstrate the fall of man.