Othello Character Essay

Shakespeare’s Othello Character Discussion Katie Olszewski Othello is a playwright by William Shakespeare. In Othello, a black man named Othello has married the daughter of a Venetian government official, Desdemona. After their marriage Othello is sent to Cyprus to battle the Turks. Fortunately for, the Turks were drowned at sea and no battle took place. Iago was Othello’s flag carrier and thought that his rank should be higher. So Iago plotted to ruin Othello’s life and it started with getting Othello’s lieutenant Cassio fired after a fight started by Iago. Iago was promoted to lieutenant and began to persuade Othello that his wife Desdemona was having an affair with Cassio, the recently fired lieutenant. Iago convinced Othello that this was true. Iago even planted evidence that drove Othello so mad that he ended up killing Desdemona right before he killed himself from grief and a guilty conscience. During the play, Othello exhibits very strong character traits even before the lying began to thwart his mind. Othello at first was very powerful and passionate but his ability to trust interfered as his character developed his naiveitivity allowed him to become insanely jealous. Othello throughout the play was a very strong character. As the story develops he uses his power in different ways. At the beginning of the play there is a fight between Brabantio and Othello where Brabantio accuses Othello of stealing Desdemona with black magic. Othello is so powerful all he has to do is tell Brabantio not to kill him and Brabantio stops in his tracks. "Hold your hands, both of you of my inclining and the rest. Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it without a prompter" (I, ii, lines 80-3). Not only does Othello have power over Desdemona’s father but he also has power over the army. Othello was chosen to fight the Turks, the Duke says to him