Preview

Othello's Flaws

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
747 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Othello's Flaws
Shakespeare’s plays always contain a tragic hero and what is a tragic hero without his tragic flaw. His characters are brought down by their own weakness or circumstances beyond their control. An example of this is Macbeth, where the witches and Lady Macbeth were causes of his downfall beyond his control. In Othello’s case, his own weaknesses are the causes of his downfall. So yes, I believe that Othello’s own weakness is responsible for the play’s tragic outcome through Iago, Desdemona, Emilia and Othello’s own jealousy and naiveté.
Though Othello is the cause of his own downfall and the play’s tragic outcome, it’s Iago that guides him along. Iago merely uses suggestion to persuade Othello. The first thing Iago does is he uses lies to make Othello believe him. He says that Cassio was talking to
…show more content…
In my opinion his tragic flaws are jealousy and naiveté. Othello’s jealousy of Cassio is so strong that it blinds him from thinking properly. He chooses to believe “honest” Iago continually without proof that Desdemona was cheating with Cassio. This is a perfect example of his naiveté as he chooses to trust Iago over his family and friends. He also doesn’t believe Desdemona as she pleaded with him as he strangled her. Since Othello is the tragic hero, he is very dramatic which is why he is responsible for the outcome of the play. He decides to kill Desdemona and Cassio for their “crimes”. When he realizes he was wrong, which is also a trait of a tragic hero, he kills himself in grief. I do believe that Othello is mostly responsible for the outcome of the play because he is the one who orders Iago to kill Cassio and he kills Desdemona and himself. It is his naiveté and jealousy that triggers him to make such rash decisions. It blinds him from the truth, prompts him believe an untrustworthy man who only wants to cause him harm and he kills his wife and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Iago vs Krogstad

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Iago is an evil person but that is all he is guilty of being. Othello was a proven warrior and was respected by high ranking officials because of his proven leadership. However, Othello was a bad judge of character and exercised poor judgment throughout the play by blindly and naively believing Iago’s lies. He did not trust the people that truly loved him and were most loyal to him. This character flaw was exploited masterfully by Iago, to the point that Othello became insanely jealous of the perceived affair between Desdemona and Cassio.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago is a cruel and evil man who uses ways to ruin Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. Othello appointed Cassio, to be his lieutenant. Iago was mad when he heard about it, he believes that he should be the one for the position since he knows more. This started off with his jealousy of Cassio. When Othello and Desdemona got married without letting anyone knowing, Iago begins to plot his plan. He used Roderigo to help him throughout the process of his plan to bring down Cassio. He then told Othello lies to ruin his own relationship. He also use Bianca as his part of the plan. Iago got people into thinking he was a nice honest guy, but he uses other people's jealousy and gullibleness for his own benefit.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Degrees of Guilt in Othello

    • 2638 Words
    • 11 Pages

    have bad intentions, but he is somewhat accountable for the tragedy. Many of his negative attributes are exposed, although they are overshadowed by his admirable introduction. First of all, he is a foolish man. Othello trusts the word of a person who he did not even trust enough to make his lieutenant. Furthermore, he should gather more evidence of Desdemona's…

    • 2638 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The protagonist and tragic hero of this play is Othello, the moor of Venice. From the beginning of the play, Othello's actions or assumed actions have influenced, either directly or indirectly, his fate. In the first scene, we learn that Othello has promoted Cassio to be his new Lieutenant rather than the seemingly fit Iago, much to Iago's disdain, "I have already chose my officer./ And what was he?/ Forsooth, a great arithmetician,/ One Michael Cassio, a Florentine."(I, i, ll.18-21). This is one of Othello's first actions in the play and also one of the most influential to his fate. Iago henceforth dedicates himself to ruining Othello's life. While Iago's actions are questionable even under circumstances such as not being promoted, he decides that he must do all he can to achieve his goal. Iago lacks motivation for his morbid actions, which is possibly why he is known as one of the most villainous antagonists in any of Shakespeare's work. Othello is also believed to have slept with Emilia, according to Iago. This is an accusation which is utterly fraudulent but believed to be…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare's character, Othello, was certainly a believable character. Although he was a man who was a leader, of high military/social standing, he was still just a man. Perhaps when one holds such a high standing within a community or nation, their followers/admirers tend to forget that they are, just as we all are, only human. Othello's mistake was that he unknowingly allowed himself to be influenced by Iago. Manipulation is a very powerful tool, especially if used by someone who has taken the time to study the human mind. With manipulation comes distrust, doubt, insecurity, and perhaps even fear. Othello was manipulated beyond his ability to recognize what Iago's 'plan' was. His love for Desdemona, jealousy and insecurities most likely clouded his ability to percieve what was really going on and as a result he not only committed the tragic sin of murdering his true love, but also committed the ultimate sin of self-destruction. Although the saga of Othello was written long ago, the similarities of its misadventures are very similar to those of today's society. How many of us have been truly duped by someone that we have put our complete faith and trust in? How like the people of today to be fueled by jealousy and rage their normally crystal clear outlook could turn to complete and utter despairingly gray? What would it take to turn the complete love and devotion of a husband into a murderous stranger toward the one person that he has pledged to love for all of eternity? How sad that Iago's extreme jealously could target and destroy something as pure and beautiful as the love Othello had for Desdemona. It is quiet tragic that such jealousy could destroy such a great and powerful military leader. It seemed for as much as Othello loved his wife, she was in fact his Achilles' heel. I cannot imagine the sickening horror that Desdemona felt when she realized that there was no defending herself from the tiny, poisonous seed planted by Iago. There was no defense in the…

    • 393 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello

    • 1136 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A thorough analysis of the play Othello tends to reveal that the focus of the play is actually about Othello’s flaws and weaknesses rather than Iago’s villainy. This conclusion has been reached due to the fact that many elements of drama as well as a characteristic of Shakespearean tragedy are centered on Othello and his imperfections. In essence, the conflict and thematic concerns which Shakespeare addresses, surround Othello’s flaws, whereas his downfall as the protagonist fulfills the requirements of a Shakespearean tragedy. Despite this, Iago has undoubtedly contributed to the play with his masterful manipulation as a Machiavellian villain. In solidifying this theory, four key factors must be examined; the first three points address the fact that Othello’s flaws and weaknesses are the focus of the play through his involvement in the dramatic elements of the play. They are: his involvement in the major conflict, his involvement in the main theme and Othello having a tragic flaw. On the other hand, the final point is Iago as the foundation for the conflict.…

    • 1136 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    William Shakespeare creates dynamic and complex characters in his tragic play, Othello. Othello, Iago, Desdemona, and Emilia each display a tragic flaw. Shakespeare’s subtle descriptions of the characters allow for varying interpretations of each character. The tragic flaws can truly alter perspectives as the story transitions. A tragic flaw can begin as a positive character trait, yet spiral into the downfall of the respective character. Shakespeare thoroughly expresses the importance of tragic flaws in the play Othello. Shakespeare provides the title character with the tragic flaw of inherent trust in others, particularly in Iago. Iago’s ambition, Desdemona’s love for Othello, and Emilia’s loyalty in Iago…

    • 1585 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    For every Shakespearean tragedy there is a grossly unfortunate sequence of events that eventually leads to a bloodbath. The reason for this bloodbath is the tragic flaw. The tragic flaw is the small character defect in the protagonist that, in most circumstances, wouldn’t have been a big problem if not for said events. People frequently mistake Othello’s tragic flaw. They jump to the seemingly obvious choice of jealousy or naivety. The actually tragic flaw will be revealed in this essay.…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Flaws In Othello

    • 1768 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In the play, “Othello”, Shakespeare writes not only about the love between men and women, but exposes the character traits and flaws that are particularly vulnerable to the smooth talking of the archetypal devil or villain, Iago. Throughout the play we see and hear how the manipulation of character traits that we all possess can play out in all sorts of relationships. With each character, Shakespeare explores the possible outcomes for any person if he or she were to ‘feed’ that part of themselves (or allow other people to do the feeding for them). Each of us has the potential to be the hero, or the fairest, or the most conniving. We are each susceptible to being motivated by the same things that motivated each of the characters in the play.…

    • 1768 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello's Powerplay

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Iago maintains an overarching power over Othello in the play. Iago is successful in manipulating both the truth and Othello, describing Casio's departure from his meeting with Desdemona: "that he would steal away so guilty like, seeing you coming". Iago's tremendous gift with language allows him to maintain power over Othello by essentially planting doubt in his mind. Throughout the play, Iago is successful…

    • 667 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare's Othello is indeed a story of tragedy. Iago's evil schemes throughout the play cause much grief and pity on the side of Othello. Iago manipulates Othello's innocence, naivety and trust to cause Othello to become jealous over the thought of his newly wedded wife cheating on him. Othello's fall from grace leads him to eventually murder his own wife, and once Iago's plan has been exposed by Emilia, Iago murders his own wife and Othello commits suicide. It is the deaths of the innocent, bold, daring women – Emilia and Desdemona, along with our beloved tragic hero, Othello which causes a "catharsis of emotions" because of our first impressions of these characters as "pure and…

    • 680 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Probably, Iago's most potent weapon in helping him manipulate others is the fact that he is known as "honest Iago". All the main characters trust him and due to this he is able to give them advice, which they think might benefit them but rather is getting them caught in Iago's web. This occurs many times and one such moment is when Cassio thinks Iago is trying to aid him by telling him to "Confess yourself / freely to her", meaning that Cassio should ask Desdemona for help in restoring friendly relations between himself and Othello. Although what Iago intends to happen is very…

    • 1751 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Iago's character is optimal for carrying out deception, but Othello's character is also made that he is easily deceived. He is well presented and a high class man. He speaks well mannered as well, which reflects his character, someone who you can trust and be trusted back. This is the opening which allows Iago to manilpulate him to a state where he believes anything he says. Othello's personality and doubts let him take in whatever Iago tells him because he had told Othello about the context and sown the seeds of doubt. This trust that Othello has leads to him again succumb to Iago's lies.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello wrongly judges Iago’s stories to be true and doesn’t even think of questioning anyone else. He foolishly believes that Iago is an honest and honourable man, and is too blind to see through Iago’s façade. This display of weak human judgement ultimately leads Othello to wrongfully murdering his wife.…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    2008 Othello Question

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages

    At the start of the play Othello seems to be prudent, impeccable and unduly romantic. Othello and Desdemona were clearly passionately in love, we see this when Desdemona and Othello elope and Desdemona stands up to her father stating that she is “hitherto” his daughter. The couple are willing to wait for Brabantio’s blessing of the marriage before they consummate it, this shows us that Othello is kind and that he respects Desdemona’s father and Desdemona. Othello is a true gentleman, with an exquisite way of speaking. Othello know his place and ranking, he speaks with respect to those both above and below him “Most potent, grave and reverend signiors”. Othello's character is first shown as a hero of war and a man of great pride, valour and courage: “I must be found. / My parts, my title, and my perfect soul, / Shall manifest me rightly:” and “Valiant Othello, we must straight employ you”. Othello is a man who has suffered, survived and succeeded in his life. He went through slavery and all sorts of trials, to end up as the Venetian Armies general: “…the story of my life/ From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes, / That I have passed.” In the beginning of the play there is little indication that Othello is an asinine character which could lead to the catastrophe of the play, in fact we view him as a champion who can win every battle.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics