Omer, Haim and
Marcello Da Verona. “Dr. Iago’s Treatment of Othello.” American Journal of
Psychotherapy.
Vol. 45 (1), 1991, pp. 99-112.
In “Dr. Iago’s Treatment of
Othello,” Dr. Haim Omer and Dr. Marcello Da Verona present their case that Othello’s
Iago is a therapist from hell. The authors back their claim that “Iago’s
conversations with Othello…may rank among the greatest displays of persuasive
skills ever penned” (99) through thorough literary and psychological analysis.
Just as real-life therapists utilize strategies and techniques to help their
clients achieve catharsis, so too does Iago utilize his own tactics to bring
characters to what they deem “anti-catharsis,” creating in him a sort of
anti-therapist who garners Othello’s trust in order to bring him down rather
than to build him up. It is through his use of rhetorical questions and “unspoken
surmises” that Iago plants his seeds of suspicion in Othello, watching them
grow until they ultimately destroy him, they claim. The two point to Iago’s
uncanny talent to redirect blame from himself through his use of the “psychological
sandwich” (109) and his ability to change his manipulative strategies to fit
the situation. The subtly humorous article, though it touches on many of the
same quotations from other articles about Iago’s psychology, presents a unique
argument that is well formulated and backed impeccably by textual evidence.
