... antagonist that he was determined to carry out some way. The characters posses other character traits that allow the tragedy to occur. They both act violently and irrationally when confronted with unfavorable circumstances. They also both didn't trust the right people- Othello didn't trust his wife, and Oedipus ... points out to Othello every time his wife and Cassius have a conversation, and provokes Othello's wife to plead the issue of Othello stripping Cassius of his title to Othello, making him suspect a secret union. Lastly, Iago plants a handkerchief in Cassius' room, a distinguisha...

• Word Count: 3079
• Approx Pages: 12

... occasions: "To the gross clasps of a lascivious Moor- [1.1.125] and "With the Moor, says'st thou?- [1.1.162] within the first act, rather than his name Othello. Moors are dark skinned North Americans that were considered, in Shakespeare's context, to be both intellectually and socially inferior ... to explain his actions. Iago believed that he more rightly deserved the position of Othello's lieutenant - a much higher ranking than that of his mere title of "soldier-. He is outraged to find that Cassio, who "Never set a squadron in the field,/Nor the division of a battle knows- [1.1. ... i...

• Word Count: 3595
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: High School

... is the subject of much racism. The terms directed toward him include "Moor" (I.i.57), "thick-lips" (I.i.66), "an old black ram" (I.i.88), and "a Barbary horse" (I.i.113). These all occur in Act I, setting a mood and tone for the remainder of the play. This shows that Othello not only has despicable adversaries, but also adversarial situations to overcome (Douthat n. pag.). At the other ... is now set for Othello's development as a tragic hero. He has respect, adversity, allies, importance, romance and character. Now he needs to be distinguished from any hero to gain the title of tragic ...

• Word Count: 2635
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School