Othello, one of William Shakespeare's tragic plays, focuses on two main characters that are both conflicted with their own insecurities. Othello, a black general in the Venetian military, is a character of both greatness and weakness. He is well respected by his troops and well loved by Desdemona, his wife, but all that changes when he lets jealousy and hatred get to him. Iago, on the other hand is a manipulative character who doesn't stop hurting people until things are the way he wants them to be. He has hatred towards Othello for giving Cassio the lieutenant title instead of him, so he plots revenge to get back at Othello. Iago main focus is to manipulate Othello's thoughts so that he would believe that his wife is cheating on him with Cassio. Othello has unconditional love for Desdemona in the beginning of the play, but thanks to Iago, he ends the play being heartbroken from feeling guilty for jumping to conclusions and murdering his beloved wife. Even though these two characters rank differently, they both let jealousy get to the worst of them. Othello, whose tragic flaw is jealousy that derives from a lack of confidence, meets all the requirements of the Shakespearean tragic hero.
One of the first requirements of being a tragic hero is being a person of high standing such as a noble or king, and he must hold greatness. Othello definitely meets this requirement because he is the general of a Venetian military. Since this play is written during a racist time, someone like Othello for example, is not considered fit for the throne. Because of this, Shakespeare creates Othello's character as someone who everyone looks up to, so that he would be worthwhile of everyone's time. Because of Othello's position as the general, his actions have far reaching effects than other people. This means what whatever he does matters more, even when it is the same as what everyone else does. .
Aside from Othello being of high position, he is also a good character that holds greatness.
