Othello, William Shakespeare

Dominant Te: Cassio is a reliable person. He is straightforward and honest in his communications with others. He has great social skills and knows how to organize people. His decisions are typically firm, though at times, he can give way to peer pressure (more likely because Iago is a master manipulator). Cassio’s charm and charisma draw people of all different types to him, be it ladies or military soldiers. He knows how to communicate well and is a natural leader. He is a brain-over-brawns type of person, which is a major reason for why Iago does not understand why Othello makes Cassio lieutenant and not him. Iago remarks that Cassio is a philosophizer, not a soldier. However, it’s clear that Cassio really does understand war, otherwise he would not been appointed lieutenant by Othello.

Auxiliary Ni: Cassio has a good handle on what will likely happen as a result of his actions, and thus is very careful about everything that he does. Unfortunately, this also causes him to be obsessively concerned with his social status. When he supposedly ‘looses’ his reputation, he breaks down crying and blubbering like a child and can see no way to fix it. He is distraught by the idea that all of his hard work has been foiled, and in the moment, cannot cope with it. However, he quickly afterward regains his composure and big-picture view, and is able to frankly forgive those who have wronged him. He is quick to return to his fervent loyalty towards Othello and immediately begins serving him once again. Cassio is clearly a long term goal setter. Supposed to have come from a lower class family, it is likely that Cassio had to work hard to get to where he is now.

Tertiary Se: Cassio is the life of the party, driven by an enthusiasm for moment-to-moment life, and loves a chance to have fun. He has been called a “slave of passion” because of his intense passion for enjoying every second of life. He has an appreciation for beauty, but not necessarily a respect for its virtue. He flirts with women for the experience that it gives him, but tends to view most women in a disrespectful light. He’s always looking for opportunities to leap into action and is somewhat impulsive/reckless (thus the bar fight that ruins his reputation). He plays to win, and get’s extremely frustrated when his plans and ideals are foiled. Cassio’s heritage and past remain a mystery, and it seems almost as though Cassio has put his past behind him and does not think of it at all.

Inferior Fi: though there is only one instance where he actually talks about his feelings, Cassio is driven by emotion. Rather than speaking his feelings, he acts on them. He isn’t afraid to kiss Emilia in front of Iago (which Iago later uses against him) and tends to be a bit of a lady’s man. He has a strongly held moral code, but it tends to be very black and white (i.e. women are either angels or whores. There is no in-between). As a result, he doesn’t particularly respect them, unless they happen to be one of the ones he considers an angel (Desdemona). He doesn’t think about others so much as he does about his own feelings and can’t understand why Iago doesn’t understand when he has “lost [his] reputation.”

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Cassio was actually a very difficult character to type. My automatic thought was…well obviously he’s an ESFJ, but that was going off of stereotypes. After digging a little further, I noticed that he doesn’t really show any Si or Fe at all. So, then I thought, maybe ESFP? But no…turned out that didn’t fit him either. I finally settled on ENTJ and I was honestly thinking…seriously? ENTJ? But the more I reviewed his character, the more it seemed to fit.