"Othello" the Play - Critical Essay

Introduction

Othello is referred to as a tragic hero because of his former heroic character which was destroyed by the scheming of Lago who was able to plant jealousy in the heart of Othello and destroy both his reputation and pride by making him take the life of his beloved Desmodena. Othello had a very high social ranking because of his war exploits and also he was a general a leader of men in war. The noble character of Othello also can be proved when he is sent to Cyprus because of his merit to lead the Venetian army in the war against the invasion by Turkey in Cyprus. Despite his leadership skills and courage profile as a soldier of high stature who can make the daughter of a Senator Desmodena to love him he ends tragically by falling into deceit of Lago who wanted power and dominance over others in the military leadership ranks. As a commander of the Venetian army Othello is given a noble character of not being a regular soldier but due to his tragic poor judgment, Othello is unable to detect deceit and the evil heart of Lago who schemes against his peers and even betrays Roderigo whom they were working together to bring down Othello. This paper will assess how Othello's fall in the hands of Lago is as a result of his inherent flaws in his character such as insecurity, low self-esteem, poor judgment and his gullibility which causes him to kill his wife and also end his life despite the fact that he was incited to do the acts by Lago.

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Othello Heroic Qualities

Othello is a good and principled leader

The leadership skills of Othello having been able to become a Venetian army general denotes his heroic stature because such an honor could only be achieved through merit and bravery. Othello composure even in the situation when he encountered Brabantio a senator for eloping with Desmodena shows that Othello is a man of good leadership qualities on how he was able to handle the entire situation. Othello was able to approach the situation through a dialogue approach which is an important leadership trait that every army general should possess because not all wars should be fought with spears and brawl. In this instance, by refraining from violence and aggression when he was wronged shows that Othello stood for his dignity and composure as a Venetian army general. Initially, Othello was able to thwart Lago plans when he refused to run away from Brabantio by arguing that his good record should speak for himself as a noble character. Othello leadership skills can also be attested by the fact that their leader trusted him enough to send him to Cyprus to lead his army against the Turkish invasion. If Othello was not a good leader and a hero he never could have been chosen to lead the army against an invasion. Leaders are always looked upon by their subordinates and Othello courage to face the challenges head-on without fear is a sign of the courage that Othello had in a situation where the likes of Lago could have run away Othello preferred to stay and dialogue without escalating the situation. Othello is, therefore, courageous which a good leadership attribute is because as opposed to creating a messy fight against Brabantio Othello wanted to resolve the issue peacefully. However, Othello leadership qualities and also his love for Desmodena attracts jealousy from Lago who feels inferior and is against Cassio being Othello's second in command.

Othello's Flaws

Blind Trust, insecurities, and poor Judgment

Othello's downfall is blamed upon his blind trust because of his inability to identify the motivation behind Lagos schemes and slanderous words against Cassio. Upon hearing Lago's slanderers words Othello is quick to make a judgment that is based on his insecurities and jealousy without any proof or hard evidence of the words he hears from those that are scheming against him and Cassio. Othello's vulnerability being the only African general in the Venetian army causes severe insecurities. Therefore, due to this vulnerability Lago takes it as an opportunity to manipulate Othello which makes him fall out with Desmodena on the basis that she is cheating on him with his subordinate which was not the case. Othello is also quick to action which shadows his ability to make proper judgment and he only realizes he is wrong when it is already too late. Othello blind trust makes it easy for Lago to manipulate him by planting evidence behind the scenes that Othello does not the question of their authenticity. The seeds of doubt planted by Lago are only able to take root in Othello's heart due to his poor judgment, insecurities and blind trust and they culminate to his tragic fall from a hero to a murderer and after finding out what he had done Othello takes his own life.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Othello is a tragic hero because despite his previous high social status as a general in the Venetian army his flaw in character leads to his fall. Othello is easy to trust and also has high insecurities because he is the only African general in the Venetian army. The lack of clear judgment and gullibility makes it easy for Lago to succeed in his quest to destroy Othello and his reign and pride are tragically destroyed.