Desdemona as a Tragic Victim in ‘Othello’

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In Shakespeare’s play “Othello” the main characters Othello and Desdemona suffer a tragic fate due to their actions and unforeseen circumstances. A majority of Desdemona’s suffering is down to Iago’s manipulation. However, it could also be argued that Iago is not completely to blame for the misfortune of Desdemona. We as the readers can see evidence of this at certain points in the play where Iago has planted the seeds of despair and Desdemona and Othello have fallen for his plans. In this essay, I will look at key moments in the play where Desdemona is presented as a tragic victim by the writer and justify why she is a tragic victim using quotes from the play.

A victim can become tragic in a variety of ways. First, the person could be a victim of other person’s actions. If a victim has submissive characteristic and can be easily manipulated, horrible characters will see this flaw and exploit the person for their own gain. In Act three Scene three, we see the bride Desdemona helping her friend Cassio get his job back after being fired for being drunk and starting a fight amongst ...

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