Psychology of A Soldier - Culpability in Othello

Culpability in Othello

In the tragedy of Othello, the actions that lead to the conclusion are a series of triggered events are all masterminded by Iago. Too quickly, however, do people lay blame on Iago, and assume complete innocence on the part of Othello himself. However, through careful analysis of the text and psychologies of the characters we can see that Othello was not without guilt in his own downfall.
To understand the characters in their positions, you must understand not only their personalities, but their motivations as well. Iago is a model for the ultimate villain because he operates on a self-styled level of morality, such that he never doubts his actions, however diabolical the actions seem to the audience. The rational person is capable of this emulation, for rationality is the ability to reason out a new and yet coherent order: a new order of values and beliefs that constitute his own system of morals. However, the question lies in what creates a villai...