preview

The Own Faults In Shakespeare's Othello

Better Essays

Muskan Kapoor
Professor Shapiro
English 220.03
20 October 2017
It Is Othello’s Own Faults
In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is a highly acclaimed general and as a result of his many achievements and war victories he has transcended negative stereotypes projected upon Moors in Venetian society. Its Othello’s self-consciousness about the Venetian men not viewing him as an equal that becomes the catalyst for his downfall. Othello is well aware of “the racial fear and revulsion” the Venetians have towards him (Neill 311). His differences from white Venetians ultimately makes him paranoid about his identity and results in his inner struggle. Although Desdemona's infidelity is a deception, her affair is considered to be the root cause of Othello’s downfall and violent demise. As a result of Desdemona’s affair, Othello becomes jealous which drives him to madness and leads him to murder Desdemona. However, its Othello’s fueled anxieties towards the racist nature engrained in Venetian society that eventually results in him in first believing and then projecting the discriminations towards him upon his self-identity. Although Othello is an authoritative and respectable general in Venice, his tragic flaw is his insecurities towards his racial and cultural differences from society. His vulnerability towards his weaknesses, such as, his constant need for knowing the absolute truth, his impulsiveness, and the decline of his sense of identity is what leads to Othello not only victimizing

Get Access