In the present article I attempt to provide an account of the skeptic-narcissist paradox, which Stanley Cavell finds in Shakespeare"s Othello. On one hand, Othello is a "perfect soul", on the other, he is condemned to the existence of the Other (Desdemona), in whose gaze the skeptic-narcissist could recognize himself. In this paradoxical sense - from Othello"s own perspective - Desdemona threatens his narcissistic integrity, being to him so essential. This is exactly what is involved in the self-contradictory logic of Othello"s skeptical attitude, resulting in consequence in the final tragedy.
