“There is no single factor which leads to Othello’s tragic downfall, but a complex combination of

factors.” Discuss

The play Othello, by William Shakespeare, portrays the tragic down fall of Othello due to a complex
combination of factors such as racial prejudice, incompatibility of military heroism and love and
revenge, portrayed through many multi-dimensional constructed characters, are all combined to
eventually lead to the tragic downfall of Othello. The idea of racial prejudice, a discussion
exceedingly relevant in contemporary society, centred around other ideas such as revenge which is
portrayed by the character Iago, also contributed by vengeance and incompatibility of military
heroism and love, which are also significant concerns in modern days. These universal factors, which
obtain the play’s textual integrity, are known to be the cause of Othello’s tragic downfall.

The play ‘Othello’ portrays racial prejudice through the protagonist Othello, and how it acts as a
catalyst for his insecurities, eventually leading to his downfall. Shakespeare explores xenophobic
renaissance through well-constructed literary techniques, and how it affects individuals, who were
racially different. Othello is a character elevated in ranks, well-respected general due to his service
to Venice, however he remains an exotic and mysterious outsider, constantly battling hatred and
jealousy from other characters such as Iago, Roderigo and Brabantio. This is evident through the
Iago’s derogatory and xenophobic use of animal imagery such as “the Moor,” “the devil,” and “a
Barbary horse” to refer to Othello. The metaphor “an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe,” is
used to disparage Othello and Desdemona’s mutual loving relationship in the perspective of Iago, as
he tell Brabantio that he is about to have “coursers for cousins and gennets for germans” Like Iago,
Roderigo casually refers to Othello as “the thick-lips.”, a salient characteristic of a typical venetian,
and draws a line of isolation towards Othello to discriminate him based on his difference in physical
appearance. Thus, Shakespeare conveys the ethnocentricity and racial prejudices occurring in the
renaissance era, through Othello which became his hamartia and contributed to his demise.

Another important factors, which lead to tragic ending of Othello is the incompatibility between
military heroism and love, represented by the relationship between the Othello and Desdemona’s
character. Shakespeare explores the lives of Mercenary soldiers in serving for another nation and
their incapability of identity of solider and lover. Othello is a brave soldier and had undergone many
experiences in life, but his lack of experience in love, facilitated by his insecurities ‘Haply for [he is]
black, / And have not those soft parts of conversation/That chamberers have; or for [he is] declined.”
This extended metaphor represents his insecurities towards his dark skin colour, his old age and his
lacks of romantic qualities, which advances Iago’s plan effortlessly. When Iago has raised Othello’s
suspicions about his wife’s fidelity, Othello seems to have partly begun to believe that he is
inarticulate and barbaric. Othello’s metaphorical comment, “’tis the plague of great ones,”
(III.iii.277) shows that the only potential comfort Othello finds in his moment of hopelessness is his
success as a soldier, and consider his wife’s purported infidelity as an inevitable part of his being a
great man. This is evident when Othello bid farewells to his military career when he discovers his
wife supposed infidelity, claiming ‘“Farewell the tranquil mind” or in his final speech, the anecdote
of the “malignant and . . . turbaned Turk” (V.ii.362). This shows that Othello is more agonize losing
his title than his wife. As Othello’s soldiers identity, which earned some acceptances in Venice, over
shadows his lover identity and this become a cause of his flaws which contributed to his downfall in
his relationship.
Shakespeare also highlights the theme of vengeance and its destructions to others and one’s self
represented by the lens of the villainous character Iago but ultimately reinforces the Elizabethan
concept that good wins over evil. Although Iago’s have many motivations for revenge, the source of
his intense hatred is never clear. Iago was passed over being promoted to lieutenant. Iago is also
sexually attracted to Desdemona, and suspect Othello of sleeping with his wife Emilia and wants to
get even with Othello as “wife for wife” (II.i.286) but does not investigate or confront with the issue.
This idiom conveys his narrowmindedness and exasperation. Iago tells Roderigo that he follows
Othello not out of “love” or “duty,” and antithesis phrases such as “Were I the Moor I would not be
Iago” and “I am not what I am” in (I.i.57–65) portrays his secretive nature and his manipulative
abilities. Iago states in a soliloquy, “And what’s he then that says I play the villain? (II.iii.310),
Dramatic Irony as he reveals his well-thought out plan to the audience. Iago is a dangerously
complicated character, who is willing to use anybody for his gain or purpose without any guilt or
remorse. He manipulate people into emotional vulnerability and inflicts suffering, without any
excuse but mere ‘revenge’. As a result of his selfishness and thirst for blood, he contributed to the
demise of Othello, Desdemona, Roderigo and Emilia, as well as his own ill-fate. Cassio, foil of Iago,
not only survived but promoted and admired for his loyalty and righteousness, whereas Iago, still
refused to reveal his motivation, was despised and taken to be tortured. Shakespeare juxtaposes the
contrast in these two characters, their action and their fate to show that good always win over evil
and thus, vengeance is a destructive concept to others and one’s self and ultimately ends in negative
results.

In conclusion, the tragic downfall of Othello is caused by many factors such as his insecurities which
stem from his race, age and his lack of experience in love. The incompatibility of love and his military
career as well as his poor judgement of character, trusting the wrong person or believing the worst
of his wife, overshadowed his ever-lasting love for Desdemona, which is evident even when he kills
her. As his insecurities was feeds upon Iago’s manipulative plans, his jealousy and suspicion were
taken to a new level, driving him into such intense mental torture that he lost all his sense of
judgement and sanity, finally killing his wife. However, their relationship had crumpled due to
Othello’s attachment to his military career, and overlooked his spouse obligations. Finally, Iago,
motivated by revenge, was a catalyst for Othello’s downfall as Iago effectively reveals and develop
his initials weakness and insecurities to a whole new level, causing him to act beyond reversible
which ended in tragic ending of the play.