A complete man, who became a complete monster.
As in all tragedies the main character in Othello goes through a personal struggle internally, where we see a battle between good and evil existing psychologically. The struggles in his mind of what he can and cannot deal with cause him to loose all self knowledge and eventually lead to his fateful actions. The flaw in Othello's personality is envy. It is his blind self pride which eventually develops into insane stupidity that makes him believe Iago with little question, and not first consult Desdemona or Cassio about their actions;.
" I"ll not expostulate with her this night Iago- (Othello) It is true that everyone has their flaws, but Othello was unable to control his or believe the truth which makes him a man possessed and a tragic hero. The inner flaw of erupted jealousy leads to the destruction of himself and those around him in a senseless pursuit for revenge.
The fact that Othello's actions affect so many people around him also adds value to his role as a tragic hero. Because of his position in society Othello has an obvious influence on society, and therefore in his road down madness he was to bring many others down with him. His insane jealousy leads him to murder his beloved wife, Desdemona who cared for him dearly. It also causes the fight between Rodrigo and Cassio which leads to Rodrigo's death and Cassio's injury, the murder of Emilia who uncovers the truth, by her husband Iago and Othello's own suicide, Cyprus also looses its Officer. While it could be argued these events were Iago's faults, if Othello had not been so easily deceived none of these results would have occurred.
Othello's fate also contributes to his status as a tragic hero. As a characteristic of tragedy, Othello realises after murdering his wife of just how wrong he was. Emilia reveals the full story to him with Cassio's word behind her. It is this realisation that brings Othello to take his own life for murdering the woman he loved; he had to learn through suffering because of his ignorance and assumptions, and thus had to kill himself;.
