Othello Tragic Hero

A tragic hero is a character who commits an action or makes a mistake, which eventually leads to their defeat. He/She has heroic abilities, but are doomed to face long lasting consequences due to their own character flaw. In Othello, Shakespeare portrays Othello as a tragic hero because he has a noble stature, heroic qualities, his flaws, and his acceptance. A tragic hero has numerous numbers of qualities. One quality of a tragic hero is they are usually of noble birth, meaning that he/she is royalty or wealth. Othello has a noble stature because he is the general of the Venetian army. For example, Othello states, “I fetch my life and being/ From men of royal siege, and my demerits/ May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune/As this that

Othello’s tragic flaw is that he is credulous. He is extremely gullible because he believes people are exactly who they appear to be thus making it easier for Iago to manipulate him. Othello believes that Iago is a trustworthy person. For example, Iago tells Othello "look to your wife, observe her well with Cassio; wear your eyes, thus" (3.3.228-229). He is saying that Othello should observe his wife and Cassio together, then he will notice the suspicious activities. Iago is putting thoughts into Othello's mind by saying that Desdemona is unfaithful. Iago is planting seeds of jealousy in Othello’s pure mind. In addition, Iago also manipulates Othello, into believing that Cassio is an untrustworthy lieutenant. Iago tells Othello "such a handkerchief-/ I am sure it was your wife's- did I today/see Casio wipe his beard with" (3.3. 496-498). Iago convinces Othello that Cassio has Desdemona's handkerchief. Othello is enraged because the handkerchief symbolizes Desdemona's fidelity and his love for her. To Othello the thought of someone else having the handkerchief shows how careless and unfaithful Desdemona is. Othello is already planning on getting rid of Cassio without even confirming whether or not, Cassio has the handkerchief. This proves that Othello is gullible because he's willing to do anything to get revenge on Cassio, even though he did not see the

Othello was one of the most trustworthy generals of the Venetian army. He is well respected among the people in Cyprus. Desdemona and Othello were speaking to Lodovico, and she brought up Cassio, which enraged Othello because he believes they are having an affair. Desdemona mentions that Cassio is an honorable man who just made a small mistake which angers Othello even more because she is defending him. Othello is so furious that he slaps her right in front of Lodovico. He is shocked by Othello’s actions he questions Iago, who is the current lieutenant. Lodovico states, “Is this the noble Moor whom our full senate/ Call all in all sufficient? Is this the nature/ Whom passion could not shake?”(4.1.297-299). Lodovico is questioning whether Othello is the same leader who the senate thought was capable of handling an army. He is also saying that wasn’t Othello the leader who use to be calm regardless of the conflicts that occur. Moreover, he is questioning Othello’s abilities as a leader and a husband. He is confused why a man like Othello would ever hit his own wife. This shows that Lodovico doesn’t respect Othello like before, he ruined his reputation by acting so irrational and abusing his wife. Additionally, Othello married the girl of everyone’s dreams. He married a Venetian Senator’s beautiful daughter named