On the other hand, the audience could see the character as being over-confident or egotistic. Iago says in Act 1 Scene 1 that Othello was overly proud and this, in my opinion, is proof that Iago was partly right enabling Shakespeare to leave the audience wondering whether Iago could be right about other flaws mentioned in the opening scene.
Pride is, in my opinion, one of Othello’s tragic flaws. This is strongly demonstrated in the character’s final speech, just before he commits suicide. At line 335, in Act 5 Scene 1, Othello declares:
“I have done the state some service and they know’t.”
This shows that Othello believes he is dutiful to his country, and whatever he has done, they will always respect him. However, I think that Othello thinks that he has achieved more that he actually has, and this is one of his tragic flaws because he doesn’t want to ask Desdemona whether she is having an affair, in case she isn’t, and he was wrong. The character is presented as too proud to admit any failings, which is a failing in itself. In my opinion, by exaggerating the amount of service he had done, he is portraying that he views himself as an outsider and that he has to prove himself more in the Venetian society.
A further tragic flaw Othello is presented as possessing is his open nature. Throughout the play Othello trusts Iago too much. He is also open to gossip, and is convinced Desdemona is being unfaithful without having any proof. This is present throughout the play, in particular in Act 3 Scene 3. Othello cries “O monstrous, monstrous!” in reply to Iago suggesting what Cassio may have done. This line shows that Othello had believed Iago, even though he had no other proof. The structure of the sentence is also important as, in my opinion, the repetition, exclamation and the shortness of the sentence accentuates Othello’s deteriorating state of mind as he becomes more open to Iago’s suggestions and puts more trust in him.
Some people think that Othello’s quick temper and passion are two of his tragic flaws. In the middle of the play, these flaws start to overlap into his private life, and he starts getting angry at Desdemona, and ultimately strikes her and calls her the devil (Act 4 Scene 1, line 230). However, I don’t think this is one of his tragic flaws because he needs to be authoritative and needs his quick temper to be a successful general. This shows to the audience that although Othello’s private and public lives are overlapping, Othello is a high-quality general.
However, Othello can’t be fully blamed for his entire downfall. Shakespeare presents Iago as using Othello’s tragic flaws to exploit him, and so Shakespeare increases the intensity of the flaw.
In Act 1 Scene 1, Iago says to Roderigo that he hates Othello. One of the reasons for this is that Iago believes that Othello had a liaison with Emilia, Iago’s wife. Moreover, Othello gave the position of lieutenant to Cassio, and Iago wanted the position for himself. This brings in the theme of jealousy, which is present throughout the play.
Shakespeare shows this hatred though Iago’s soliloquies and the dramatic device of asides. During Iago’s soliloquies, he talks about Othello in a derogatory way, by using the term “Moor”. This is a put down, and makes Othello appear less than he is. This is also a racist term and shows that Iago is egotistic and really does believe he is better than Othello or he is jealous of Othello and tries to cover it up by saying insulting him behind his back. However, he does this too much and it becomes obvious that Iago envies Othello for being successful in situations where Iago isn’t. The main evidence for this is Iago’s affections for Desdemona. In his second soliloquy (Act 2, Scene 1), he states “Now I do love her too.” This demonstrates that he is jealous that Othello married Desdemona and wants her for himself.
The soliloquies create tension for the audience because Shakespeare wants the audience to know Iago’s intent without the other characters knowing, creating dramatic irony. This demonstrates that Othello’s downfall isn’t purely the result of his tragic flaws.
Shakespeare also presents Roderigo to show Iago’s ability to manipulate other characters. Iago uses Roderigo to get what he wants and to earn some money on the way. This is shown in Act 1 Scene 3. At line 367-368, Iago states:
“If I would time expend with such a snipe
But for sport and profit.”
This proves the point that Iago is a manipulator and sees Othello as his sport.
Not only does Iago manipulate Roderigo, he also uses Cassio to get what he wants. In Act 2 Scene 3, Cassio reveals “I have a very poor and / unhappy brains for drinking” meaning Cassio cannot take his drink. Iago uses this to his advantage, by getting Cassio drunk and making Roderigo fight with him. This, consequently, loses Cassio his job, which is an advantage to Iago because it makes Othello think Cassio cannot be trusted and makes it more believable that he could be having an affair with Desdemona. It also creates a question mark over Othello’s judgment and so decreasing his power as general. This demonstrates that Othello’s downfall isn’t the result of his tragic flaws.
During this scene, Iago also tries to defend Cassio by announcing:
“I had rather have this tongue out from my mouth
That it should do offence to Michael Cassio.”
Othello believes that Iago’s honesty has made him understate Cassio’s offence, and therefore, Iago must be innocent and just wants to keep the peace. This displays that Othello’s downfall isn’t the result of his tragic flaws.
Another example of this is when Iago is talking to Othello in Act 3 Scene 3. From line 90 to the end of the scene, Iago and Othello are alone in the room and this is the scene where Othello comes to the conclusion that Desdemona is having an affair. Iago never states that Desdemona is cheating, but strongly implies it, and repeats Othello’s words and turns them into a question, which confuses Othello. By doing this, Iago is outwitting Othello in a verbal battle that Othello loses.
It can be argued that Othello loses some of his greatness in the play, and then gains it back at the end. In Act 3, Scene 3, Othello and Iago are talking alone. During this conversation, Othello only uses short sentences, and is reduced to short exclamations such as “O misery” (line 173). This shows that Iago has more power in the scene because he is speaking more and is in control of the dialogue. Therefore, Othello has lost some of his greatness at this point, by letting characters control him and suggests that Othello’s downfall is the result of his tragic flaws.
Furthermore, his actions, as well as his language, show his loss of greatness in Act 4 Scene1. In this scene, Othello strikes Desdemona in front of Lodovico and his attendants. This confirms the previous stereotypical views of Othello established by Iago and Othello loses his good reputation and therefore his greatness. Not only does he strike Desdemona, Othello’s speech also deteriorates, as he loses sight of reality:
“Very obedient – proceed you in your tears-
Concerning this sir – O, well-painted passion!”
Because Othello’s words don’t make sense and are jumbled, Shakespeare is able to indicate his mind is jumbled and is indicates he has lost control. Shakespeare also shows this through the use of the dashes that gives the impression of short bursts and pauses.
Interestingly, some people think that Othello’s final speech restores some of his greatness. In Act 5 Scene 2, Othello states:
“When you shall these unlucky deeds relate,
Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,
Nor set down aught in malice.”
This is very poetic, and it restores his speech back to as it was in Act 1 Scene 2. Shakespeare uses pathos and presents Othello as being very proud and dignified, something that he had lost in the middle of the play. However, in my opinion, it reveals he is very arrogant, ignorant and insincere. I believe Othello is insecure of his greatness, and wants to make sure that every character remembers him for the great things he has accomplished in war and in winning Desdemona’s hand. In my opinion, this illustrates that Othello’s downfall is a result of his tragic flaws.
At the end of this speech, Othello stabs himself. He does this because he thinks that it will redeem him from not believing Desdemona, and then killing her. I don’t think that is does redeem him because there is no way to bring her back to life, so, ultimately nothing can redeem him, but I believe suicide is still not necessary. This reveals that Othello’s downfall is a result of his tragic flaws.
In conclusion, Othello’s downfall could be the result of his own tragic flaws, but also the result of Iago’s manipulative skills. This is because it was Iago that made Othello believe the lies about Desdemona, but it was Othello that was too trusting and believed him, and then acted upon his lies. In my opinion, Othello’s downfall could also be Desdemona’s fault because she didn’t stand up for herself and lied on her deathbed to protect Othello which made him believe that she could lie about other things. Therefore, I think that Othello’s downfall was partly due to his own tragic flaws, but was mainly Iago’s manipulative skills.