Othello Characters Bring About Their Own Demise. Essay

As in almost all tragedies, especially those of William Shakespeare, the tragic hero always runs into misfortune. The play Othello is no exception. In this play, every character acquainted with the tragic hero appears to be unfortunate. While these misfortunes are oddly related to Othello, are they his fault or did each character attract them out of their own actions? To answer this daunting question, one must consider the three most unfortunate characters: Othello, Desdamona and Roderigo and analyse their downfall which eventually lead to their deaths. It is known from reading the play that Iago is the one who manipulates all three of them. Examinations of their connection with him before their deaths are necessary to answer this†¦show more content†¦This is an accusation which is utterly fraudulent but believed to be accurate by Iago when he says, It is thought abroad that twixt my sheets / He has done my office (I, iii, ll.369Ââ€"370). This supposed action of Othello is another provocation and reason for his downfall. The third and chief action of Othello applies not only to the tragic hero, but almost every other character in the play. Othellos tendency to trust Iago ultimately leads to his downfall more so than any other cause. If he hadnt trusted Iago, or had merely been sceptical of Iagos information or intent, the outcome would have been outrageously different. Before speaking with Iago about Desdamona and her supposed infidelity to her husband, Othello was happy and trusted and loved Desdamona. Upon planting a seed of doubt in Othellos mind, Iago was able to manipulated Othello and the other characters to frame Desdamonas affair with Cassio. If Othello hadnt been such a poor judge of character and even investigated a minute amount into the matter instead of sending Iago to do it, he would have caught Iago for the villain he was. Of course, Iago was confident from the moment the play started that Othello would trust him to the end of the earth , so Othello was fair game for deceit and coercion. Desdamona is another pawn in Iagos plan to ruin Othellos life. Her independent nature is a quality that leads to indirect manipulation from Iago. SheShow MoreRelatedCharacter Analysis : Othello 1255 Words   |  6 PagesPavle Burazor Ms. Ã…  kiljević ENG3U1 06-Jan-2015 Character Flaws in Othello The play Othello bears great similarity to that of the Greek myth of Sisyphus, the king of Ephyra; where Sisyphus was sentenced to forever push a boulder up a hill. This makes resemblances the climb to a climax and the fall, with three main characters, each pushing a boulder up a hill; Othello one of trust, Iago one of manipulation and Roderigo pushing one of foolishness. 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