Who Is Responsible For Othello's Downfall

Othello’s character seems to be a cool, calm, brave, and strong minded. He is a competent soldier of advanced years and many look up to him despite him being a moor. Although he has these positive traits at times he may portray other traits which make him seem naive and unsophisticated compared to many other people. This is why Iago, to get his rewards and revenge, uses him as a scapegoat because Othello chose Cassio over him to be lieutenant. This will eventually lead to many problems ultimately including the downfall of Othello. It is obvious that Iago had a large influence on Othello’s downfall but we are all responsible for our actions therefore it could be that Othello’s flaws in his nature led him to his own downfall and eventually to be held responsible for his own demise.

Othello is of strong character. He is very proud and in control of every move throughout the play. The control is not only of power but of the sense of his being who he is, a great warrior. He should be the master of his own mind because he governs what he does and he always had the chance to evaluate the validity of Iago’s claims. Initially with no proof
at all, just his own mind, he let his insecurity get in the way. He wasn't really experienced with women so when Iago gave him advice, he took it and held on to it. His insecurity kept him from questioning Iago's accusations and as soon as he gave into Iago's lies, he only saw what he wanted to see and Iago was pretty much his eyes from then on. Iago also manipulated pretty much everyone in the play, and his web of lies just grows and grows. Othello makes a mess of his life and decides to end it prematurely when it becomes apparent to him that his downfall is his own fault. However, I do not believe that Othello is entirely responsible for what happens to him. Othello’s downfall is caused by his lack of character judgment, but it is also made possible by the villain Iago through his manipulative ways, his pre-built reputation, and his use of that reputation.

Othello’s lack of judgment causes his downfall in that he chooses to trust Iago, even to the exclusion of others.
His shallowness allows him to trust Iago as he does to the exclusion of anyone else. He has no reason to suppose that Desdemona is unfaithful, only Iago's innuendos and lies. Othello never confronts Cassio with his suspicions. He does make some effort to learn the truth from Desdemona's perspective by questioning Emilia, who tells Othello that Desdemona is faithful. Othello senses the truth behind Emilia's words, but dismisses them, calling Emilia “a simple bawd” and Desdemona “a subtle whore”. Just before Othello kills Desdemona, he finally explains the reason behind his assumption: Cassio's possession of her handkerchief. Othello is blinded by his lack of judgment which causes him to trust what Iago says and no one
else.

Iago, however, aids in Othello's downfall through manipulation. He accomplishes this by altering and adopting situations to fit his purposes in deceiving Othello. The other way Iago helps bring Othello's downfall is by making use of his pre-built reputation. Iago has a reputation of honesty and trustworthiness that is acknowledged by everyone he knows. This acknowledgment is not limited to people that know him socially, but is accepted among his personal relationships also. He's a genius at putting on a trustworthy front and maintaining it, even as he is deceiving multiple people to act against those they love. Iago is able to make the most of his pre-built reputation by telling just enough of the truth to make his false, inaccurate stories believable. In building up Othello's jealousy, Iago starts with the believable, advising Othello to wear his eye neither jealous nor secure and reminds him of how easily Desdemona deceived her father to elope with Othello. Once he gets the handkerchief, he escalates his proof, climaxing with the description of Cassio's erotic dream, so that when all he can produce as evidence of her infidelity in the missing handkerchief, it's enough. Iago is not what he appears to be, making his reputation very useful.

While Othello did lack judgment of character, which eventually led him to kill his wife, if we look back in the story, we see that he is not the only player here. Iago plants suspicion in Othello's mind through the manipulation of situations such as the one with Cassio described above. We also see that Iago has an honest reputation, acknowledged by everyone and uses it to its full advantage, mixing just enough truth with his lies to make the situations believable. Othello did not single-handedly cause his downfall, but was pushed and aided by a reputably “good” and “honest” Iago. One main point of this play could be that though it may appear that a person is solely responsible for his own demise, there is usually someone behind them, appearing to be helping, but actually aiding their own downfall.