'The power of the play lies in its central paradox: that Othello is shown to be both a hero

and a fool.'

Explore the ways Shakespeare presents Othello. You must relate your discussion to relevant
contextual factors and ideas from your critical reading - 35 marks

Othello is seen to be a tragic hero, meaning that he has one fatal flaw. Othello’s fatal flaw is his
jealous attachment to Desdemona. He is instantly obsessed with any idea that she has been
unfaithful as soon as Iago puts the idea into his mind. This rage leads him to killing his own wife
without even hearing her side of the story, making us wonder if the relationship was so healthy after
all. How could he be driven to such extremes in less than 2 days? His obsession with Desdemona
started to become apparent when the first thing he did when getting off the ship after being in battle
was go to her and talk to her, instead of settling any business with his soldiers. As a man with such
high status this would have been frowned upon, as his duty is to his country before his wife. Because
he is a tragic hero, the audience’s reactions to Othello are not set-in stone. They can see him as
deserving of his fate or not, due to what different opinions they may have on the importance of his
jealousy to his fate. His jealous tendencies may be seen as relatable to some members of the
audience, meaning he is not a evil character.

However, other than this fatal flaw Othello is shown as a very good leader. His position saves him
from Desdemona’s father toward the beginning, which if it hadn’t could have led to a very different
story. In the 16th century, where the play is set, a woman would ‘belong’ to her father until she is
married, then she would ‘belong to her husband. Women were seen as inferior, and thus were
passed around as possessions. Othello marrying Desdemona without her father’s permission was
like stealing his greatest possession. However, he is not at fault for this, as Desdemona was in love
with him, and they agreed to marry in secrecy. Another was his good-hearted character is shown is
through his interactions with those around him. He treats everyone with mutual respect, even Iago
he calls “good Iago” and “honest Iago”.

Othello is shown as manipulated by Iago to an extreme extent. Iago uses his intelligence to make
implication after implication on Desdemona’s unfaithfulness. His choice of words, such as the
repetition of “think”, allows Othello to become unsure of himself, and slowly become more and
more besotted by the idea. It is only towards the end when Othello is completely frustrated and
angry that Iago can be direct: “To be naked with her friend in bed?” and “To kiss in private?”. The
speed that Othello’s thoughts and actions are hijacked by Iago shows how vulnerable he is, despite
his powerful position and happy marriage.

Shakespeare presents Othello as an outsider. The main thing causing this is his race. In
Shakespeare’s time, there were no plays that presented a black person as anything other than a
villain, so it was new to his audiences that Othello is a central character and essentially good. Some
of the language used, such as “barbary horse” and “moor” shows that the race is a theme, but is not
a central theme or even the reason why Iago wants Othello’s downfall. This shows how the play was
essentially ahead of its time, as it presents Othello as more than just his race, and as a person. Ania
Loomba’s opinions in her analysis of Othello is similar to this. She says “Othello yokes together and
reshapes available images of ‘blackamors’ and moors”. I agree with this because it shows how the
presentation of Othello’s personality greatly helped readjust the stereotypes of black men and
general outsiders at the time.