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In my opinion Othello lacks so much on being a hero. I see many analysis considering him a tragic hero or simply as a hero but from what i understood Othello is great only on characteristics such as fearful, insecure, anxious and unable to take control.

As much as i was trying to feel pity for him it was impossible because i could not ignore the fact that it was his weaknesses which led him towards the tragic flaws and not Iago. Iago was just an excuse and heroes do not have excuses.

I find the Othello’s play very interesting especially for this climax where jealousy was heavily played out. Iago was definitely jealous of Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. He played Othello’s emotion very well and got him to kill Desdemona and then kill himself. Jealousy played a dangerous role in this play. Jealousy speaks for itself, jealousy is like a death, even if it doesn’t not result in physically death, once nurtured it can slowly kill a person emotionally.

Othello revolves around the major theme of jealousy. It begins because Iago is jealous of Othello. It leads him to reveal his true self, he devises methods to turn people against each other. This translates onto Othello himself, who begins to doubt himself and fails to trust those most loyal to him. Othello’s jealousy leads to him killing his wife and in turn himself. These events show us how jealousy can corrupt people.

Jealousy is a dangerous seed that once planted can never be removed and will always linger. Jealousy plays a very strong role in this play because it made even the most powerful warrior weak. Othello is a character who at nature is very honest, trusting and loving. Iago knew this and played it to his advantage making him his prey. Iago himself jealous that after all his hard work in the army, his efforts haven’t been rewarded. Not only has he been passed over for General for Othello, he was also passed over for lieutenant for Cassio. Jealous brought death to many of innocent characters all caught up in Iago’s twisted plot.

I think Shakespeare chose to make this a story about the perversion of intimacy and the process of accruing evidence in service of an accusation because it makes for an interesting plot that brings up feelings people can relate to in one way or another. The handkerchief shows that when you’re jealous you really can’t think straight. Othello believes Desdemona is cheating just from the handkerchief being found in Cassio’s possession. To the reader, this can seem a bit ridiculous, it is just a handkerchief. But, Othello, who is already very jealous, sees this as the definite sign that Desdemona is cheating. Iago knows Othello will jump to conclusions if the handkerchief is found with Cassio and uses this to manipulate Othello. When we are jealous, our minds deceive us by seeing the tiniest details as major signs.

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To what degree is this a play about jealousy? What does it have to tell us about jealousy?

Jealousy can be considered one of the strongest factors in this play. Othello felt vulnerable and betrayed while experiencing insecurities and jealousy that led him to his own destruction. Othello’s jealousy effected his judgement and made him insane. His insanity encouraged him to kill his wife, Desdemona. I believe that this tells us that jealousy impacts our senses and brings insecurities within ourself which destroys the relationships in this play and also in real life.

Is Othello a tragic hero or not? Does he have a tragic flaw or series of them? Why or why not?

Othello’s biggest flaw is his lack of faith in himself. Everyone from great leaders to his lover admired and had great faith in him. These leaders sending him for battle in the name of the place he so wishes to call home but can’t quite fully accept it as such.

He is a great hero, but not in his mind. He’s fought so hard his entire life to belong, yet, he never truly saw himself outside of being the moor of venice. That was his biggest flaw; he could not accept himself, which is what fueled his disbelief in Desdemona. If he could not accept himself, truly, no one could accept him either.

In Shakespeare’s Othello, jealousy is one main theme that is depicted throughout the entire play. Iago utilizes Othello’s gullibility to manipulate him into believing his wife Desdemona was having an affair. Othello has a difficult time differentiating between appearance and reality as Iago successfully carries out his plans to trick him. Shakespeare’s Othello demonstrates how jealousy twists the human mind and often causes a person to lose their senses, ultimately leading to dangerous results. Jealously eventually causes Desdemona’s death and Othello’s own death. It’s also ironic how jealousy is what caused Iago to start his evil plans against Othello in the first place. Iago was initially jealous of how Othello promoted Cassio to lieutenant instead of him. Iago also suspects that Othello slept with his wife Emilia. Iago’s hatred and jealousy leads him to become the villain and antagonist in the play, plotting every move with the intention to destroy Othello.

Iago is the most intriguing character of “Othello” because he drives the whole play. He is an evil person who gets satisfaction from making others’ lives unhappy and miserable. Besides the fact that he is a morally bad person who lacks love and compassion, there are some motivations that drive him to do all these bad things toward others, especially Othello and his wife Desdemona. One of the reasons that Iago becomes furious with Othello is because he wasn’t promoted to the rank of lieutenant. This fact makes him seek revenge on Othello. Furthermore, Iago is convinced that Othello slept with Emilia, Iago’s wife. To make matters worse, Iago’s marriage lacks mutual love and respect. There are some other possible reasons behind Iago’s behavior that may explain some of his cruel acts, but certainly being unfulfilled, unhappy, and bad in nature make him who he is. Iago is one of the darkest characters in all of Shakespeare’s plays. By creating a character as nasty as Iago, Shakespeare was able to keep the audience interested and thrilled throughout  the whole play. Iago’s monologue is one way in which Shakespeare reveals Iago’s true thoughts to the reader before any other character in the play knows, that makes the reader more involved. 

To what degree is this a play about jealousy? What does it have to tell us about jealousy?

Jealousy plays a major role in Shakespeare’s Othello, mainly shown amongst two major characters Iago and Othello. Othello is married to Dsdemmo in which it is portrayed as a marriage that is filled with true love but Iago’s mindful games is what brings Othello’s jealousy in to play and destroys everything he has. With jealousy, you see Iago’s true colors and the major influence that he had on Othello in a negative way. Jealousy brought out doubt, suspicion, anger and many other negative emotions through Othello. Jealousy showed how much it can easily take away all the positivity and turn something so beautiful into something ugly. This becomes a major theme throughout the entirety of the play and shows that jealousy can bring out the ugliest version of one self and potentially destroy what was once beautiful if not controlled.