Tragic Hero In Romeo And Othello

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William Shakespeare has two most renowned tragedies: Romeo and Juliet and Othello. Whenever one calls out Romeo and Juliet, it is never surprising that people instantaneously think of a heartrending story that begins with hate and feud, but ends up with the legacy of prolong harmony and un-doubting love. However, in stark contrast, for Othello, it begins with the line “I love the gentle Desdemona”--- the romance and trust, but leaves readers with the most sinister and the nasty aspect of the human race: jealousy. The Moorish general Othello, fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must have three dominant qualities: he must be a person of high estate, he must fall from that position into unhappiness, …show more content…

The unbelievable power of Jealousy “born on itself” and “begot on itself,” making the antagonist Iago to foil for the protagonist Othello and letting Shakespeare to comment on the human nature of being jealous as well as the right way to treat this seemingly sinister element: acknowledging it rather than neglecting or trying to utilize …show more content…

Iago utilizes the human nature of jealousy to feed on to his insatiable jealousy. As the result, he losses Roderigo and his wife; he fails to accomplish his selfish goal. Othello, on the other hand, murders his trusting wife whom trusts profoundly and fondly that “the sun where he(Othello) was born/ drew all such humors(jealousy) from him.” Othello’s denial and his reluctance of acknowledging the element fails to let himself to even try to campaign against jealousy. If he is able to see the danger and the dreadful qualities of envy, he will not be driven insane by Iago’s conspiracy. In other words, it is not Iago whom manipulates the mind of Othello, but by enormous jealousy, which “shapes faults that are not;” It is not love that is blind, but

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