Othello's Flaws

1395 Words3 Pages

Making mistakes are part of everyday life. Whether it is turning down the wrong road while driving or choosing the wrong answer on a test, humans will not be perfect. But there are situations where decisions affect significant consequences on life that can determine life and death. Failure is not always a harmful outcome. Michael Jordan once said, “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed”. Failure is a flaw that can cause other events to occur because of it. These events could be either beneficial or detrimental. The story of Othello is a clear example of this fact. In this story, Othello continuously is guided into traps by Iago and fails to escape them. There are ways he can avoid them but Othello’s flaws keep him from escaping the traps. Othello’s flaws are part of his character and cause him to the decide the wrong way to handle a conflict. As a result of Othello’s flaws, he, Desdemona and Emilia die an unnecessary and cruel deaths; if Othello would have made minor adjustments in those events, the story would have ended in “they lived happily ever after.”

The first mistake Othello made, was trusting Iago and demoting Cassio. Cassio was a trusted and well-respected Lieutenant under Othello’s command. Cassio is attending, “the celebration of [Othello’s] nuptial.”(2.2.7) While they are celebrating the wedding, Iago offers Cassio a, “stoup of wine”.(2.3.27) We are even shown Cassio’s gentle nature and self control, when he responds, “I have drunk but one cup tonight, and that was a craftily qualified too; and behold what innovation it makes here. I am unfortunate in the infirmity and dare not task my weakness with anymore.”(2.3.35-38) He announces even that he does not want t...

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..., he could have prevented these murders. I also take this lesson with a grain of salt, looking back at the story, it is easier said than done. Any person who reads this story can have the same reactions to these events.

Works Cited

Baker, Christopher. "Shakespeare's Othello." The Explicator 60.2 (2002): 63. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 9 Jan. 2012.

Edgecombe, Rodney Stenning. "'Put out the light' in Othello 5.2." ANQ 21.3 (2008): 8+. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 9 Jan. 2012.

Miola, Robert S. "Othello Furens." Shakespeare Quaterly Spring 41.1 (1990): 49-64.JSTOR. Web. 23 Jan. 2012.

Schwartz, Elias. "Stylistic "Impurity" and the Meaning of Othello." Studies in English Literature 10.2 (1970): 297-313. JSTOR. Web. 23 Jan. 2012.

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1999. Print.

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