Othello: Admirable Leader but Poor Rationalist

In William Shakespeare’s “Othello”, the main character is presented as an admirable leader but a poor rationalist. He is recognized as a hero with the qualities of vigor, charm, and eloquence. However these principles of leadership aren’t always viewed as the criteria for a leader. The battleground is, to Othello at least, is depicted as a place of admiration, where men speak truthfully to one another. Also, the given circumstances of state and warfare are rather straightforward; no one deceives Othello because as leader he should be esteemed. This one-dimensional view does not help him in issues of the heart though. Thus the main assessment of Othello must be that, even though he leads well and means well, he lacks sensible judgment and common wisdom. Evidently in his concluding two speeches, where Othello didn’t entirely understand the situation and not take responsibility for what has taken place.

These two last orations of Othello are noble in speech and purpose, but lack comprehension. He uses the first to attack himself for his horrible deed; certainly this is the first reaction of anyone who has wrongly killed his beloved. He delivers condemnation upon himself with eloquence and anguish. The latter speech he gives in his final role as a leader, directing the men who remain about how to deal with what has happened and showing them he has purged the evil.

It is Othello's last soliloquy that lacks vital judgmental abilities and eventually secures his destiny. This is because these are his closing words, and they don’t deal with emotions, but rather facts. He addresses the reasons behind his downfall, and decides how he wants others to see him, in terms of the story and how he takes responsibility for it. It is a noble speec...

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...ver has been lied to until Iago; as a gracious and tough general who falls only because of the cunningness and evilness of Iago. Some may say, because Othello was possessed by evil that he is counted as a tragic hero when he dies. But since the fact that he had been faithful and honest to his wife and lieutenant he would have figured out the truth of the whole dilemma. Therefore, Othello could lead, but he could not reason with his given circumstances. “When he is not removed from the web of circumstance, and the fabric of convention and structure, Othello reveals the truth of human nature” (Mikesell & Vaughn 6).

Works Cited

Mikesell, Margaret Lael., and Virginia Mason. Vaughan. Othello: An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1990. Print.

Hall, Joan Lord. "Othello: A Guide to the Play." (Literary Criticism) Greenwood Guides to Shakespeare (1999). Print.