Othello Tragic Hero Essay

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Who is Othello? What is Othello’s Story? How does Othello posses the characteristics of a tragic hero? Othello is a Christian Moor and a general for the army of Venice, he possesses great power, he is well respected by those around him, and he is married to Desdemona. What makes up a Shakespearean tragic hero is a good person, a high position within the society, has a fatal flaw, and is going to die at the end. Othello is a play that takes place in 16th century of Venice. Othello, the main character, marries a white Venetian women named Desdemona, as he marries her, Othello gives the lieutenant position to Cassio but his best friend, Iago, wanted that position. Iago then set forth to ruin everyone’s lives because he did not receive the position he wanted. Othello portrays the characteristics as a tragic hero because he is a man of nobility going from happiness to misery, has a fatal flaw, and a tragic ending. …show more content…

“The tragic flaw is something very bad on a tragic hero which causes a tragedy and makes the hero deserve what happens to him even though the may have many desirable traits in additions to his flaws” (Haupt). A tragic hero has some traits that we love but a fatal flaw makes a tragic hero otherwise it wouldn't be called a tragedy. Othello does layout the basic good traits that a hero should have, yet he still shows that he has the fatal flaw of jealousy. “Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice: then must you speak of one that loved not wisely but too well; of one not easily jealous, but being wrought perplex'd in the extreme” (Othello 5.2.341-345). Othello is very proud of being a man and he didn’t know what he was doing accusing Desdemona of treachery and bloodshed. Othello doesn’t want to be a man who was easily jealous but as noble and great. Othello shows the act of jealousy through Desdemona as his fatal

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