Othello Character Arc

As Jeremy Aldana once said, "A man’s spirit is free, but his pride binds him with chains of suffocation in a prison of his own insecurities." In other words, a man's greatest weakness stems from his desperate desire to gain the respect of others without looking to gain respect from himself first. In William Shakespeare's play Othello, the fragile mask of confidence and self-assuredness that Othello wears at the beginning of the play quickly falls apart to reveal extreme insecurities, a mind ruled by pride, and a dangerous affinity for jealousy, which ultimately leads to the unjust murder of Desdemona and Othello’s tragic self-execution. However, Othello does mature as a character in the final scene of the play when he realizes the horrible mistake he has made and gives up all that he has left in order to achieve justice.
Shakespeare quickly establishes Othello as a member of an inferior race and an outsider in society within the very first few lines of the play, but Othello's calm, authoritative demeanor contrasts sharply with the all of the negative, animalistic stereotypes surrounding his race. He appears to be very confident and poised despite all of the racial oppression he undoubtedly endures, and he even believes that he can get away with a deed as scandalous as marrying Desdemona, a young white Venetian woman. All of this confidence, however, seems dependent upon two things alone: his extraordinary military capabilities and Desdemona's love for him. Othello, an automatic outcast because of the color of his skin, has gained social acceptance only through his services to the state; therefore, society strongly disapproves of his marriage to Desdemona and only tolerates it because they need his skills as a military general. Without his remarkable skills, Othello would have been considered useless and would have been put to death for even considering to marry Desdemona, but he knows that the “services which [he has] done the signiory shall out-tongue [anyone’s] complaints” (1.2.18-19). Othello’s entire sense of self-worth relies upon his relationship with Desdemona, but this relationship has a very shaky foundation and could collapse at a moment’s notice. Othello states, “She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did pity them” (1.3.167-168). This clearly demonstrates the unbalanced nature of their relationship. Othello believes that Desdemona married him primarily because of the heroic adventures he had survived, not because she fell in love with his personality. Once again Othello emphasizes the greatness of his actions and accomplishments but says nothing about his importance as an actual human being with feelings and emotions. He does not understand that his value as a person should extend beyond just his actions. Since his whole life has been strictly military-centric, his emotional and social maturity has been stunted. He does not have any real life experience other than the time he has spent on the battlefield, which makes him naïve when it comes to relationships and easily manipulated by people like Iago. Unfortunately, prolonged racism can cause even the most confident person in the world to begin to subconsciously internalize their oppression. One might begin to doubt one’s own worth or to accept other people’s lies as the truth without even realizing it. This happens to Othello, and all of his insecurities slowly rise up to the surface, just waiting for the chance to explode. As previously stated, Othello’s lack of social experience makes him highly impressionable and readily deceived. Iago recognizes this weakness and knows exactly how to use it against him. Othello knows that his marriage to Desdemona never would have been allowed under normal circumstances, so he might subconsciously believe that he doesn’t truly deserve her. Iago plays on this hidden insecurity by simply planting a few seeds of doubt in Othello's mind about Desdemona being unfaithful; from there, Othello spirals uncontrollably down a path of resentment and jealousy that prevents him from thinking logically and seeing the truth. Othello's quick judgment and his tendency to trust Iago so freely may be a result of his military training. As a trained soldier, Othello would have been taught to act and to react swiftly. In addition, he would have been instructed to always expect and prepare for the worst possible case scenario; in this situation, it would be Desdemona’s infidelity. Therefore, when Iago plants the seeds of doubt in Othello's mind, he judges the situation both quickly and pessimistically. The way Othello reacts once he believes that Desdemona has been cheating on him unveils his fatal flaw: his hubris, or excessive pride. He declares firmly, “Not from mine own weak merits will I draw the smallest fear or doubt of her revolt … away at once with love or jealousy” (3.3.187-192). He foolishly believes himself to be impervious and immune to jealousy, so he cannot and does not recognize the emotion even as it devours him from the inside out. Othello defends himself and his achievements proudly by claiming that being cheated on “’tis the plague of great ones” (3.3.273). He makes himself out to be better than everyone else and claims to be the innocent victim of everybody else's sins. The allegations of Desdemona's affair hurt his pride even more than they inflame his jealousy. He wants to appear powerful and accomplished and does not want other people to know that he has fears, insecurities, and weaknesses just like any normal human being. As Othello sinks deeper into the darkness of his own mind, he begins to live up to the negative stereotypes surrounding the darkness of his skin. He refuses to listen to Desdemona’s side of the story and even uses physical violence against her. One of the greatest tragedies of this play is the devolution of Othello down to the animalistic stereotypes that he has been working his entire life to overcome. Othello solidifies this transformation when he breaks his marriage vows to Desdemona, pledges himself to Iago, and promises to “ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love” (3.3.458). Othello renounces goodness and gives himself over as a slave to evil and jealousy.
As the play comes to a close, Othello decides that he must kill Desdemona. Even though he has already convinced himself of her promiscuity, he still loves her and struggles to find it within himself to actually carry out the murder. He eventually decides that he must destroy Desdemona because it would stop her from hurting anyone else and “betray[ing] more men” (5.2.6). This attempt at selflessness, however misguided it may be, proves that Othello has matured throughout the play. He truly believes that killing Desdemona would be in everybody else’s best interest and right thing to do. He cries out in distress, “O perjured woman! Thou dost stone my heart, and mak’st me call what I intend to do a murder, which I thought a sacrifice” (5.2.63-65). Othello deludes himself into believing that he must sacrifice his one true love for the protection of the state. His military mind never falters once during the entire play, and this unbreakable loyalty to the state compels him to murder Desdemona and consequently drives him straight into his own grave. Once he realizes that Desdemona has always been faithful and has never cheated on him, overwhelming self-hatred and guilt consumes him. He believes that God will “hurl his soul from heaven, and fiends will snatch at it” (5.2.275-276). However, before the tragedy of Othello comes to completion, Othello reaches his final anagnorisis and realizes that he is no better than anyone else and that no one can control fate. He lets go of the destructive pride that brought him to his demise and gains valuable wisdom and self-knowledge. He then condemns himself as a criminal and orders his own execution for the same reason he murdered Desdemona: to protect the state. His death would be his final act of service to the state, his last attempt to redeem himself, and his way of making sure that justice prevails.
Othello’s hidden insecurities lead him down a twisted path of all-consuming jealousy, and his fatal flaw, pride, prevents him from recognizing and stopping this jealousy and seeing the truth about Iago’s deceitful trickery and Desdemona’s unwavering fidelity. However, by the end of the play, Othello shows that he grown as a person because he understands that he is no greater than anyone else and because he willingly sacrifices everything he has left in order to do what believes is right. He manages to release himself from the chains of pride, but it is too late to stop him from suffocating in the end.