Othello's Self-Hatred and Alienation as His True Tragic Flaw

Iago as the Truly Jealous Character

Othello is often described as a tragic character because he is a great leader and military hero brought low by one fatal personal flaw he is otherwise unaware of — namely, his jealousy. But it seems, in fact, that Iago is the more jealous of the two men: jealous of the Moor's advancement in Venetian society and of the promotion of Michael Cassio. One of the first things Iago says in the play, in Act 1, Scene 1, to Roderigo, is: "Why, there's no remedy; 'tis the curse of service, / Preferment goes by letter and affection, / And not by old gradation, where each second / Stood heir to the first." (1.1) In other words, rather than merit and seniority, people who are favored — like Cassio — get promoted. This statement seethes with jealousy.

Othello's Outsider Status in Venice

In contrast to Iago, Othello in fact seems to possess a free and open nature, and seldom begrudges anyone what they are truly owed. He leaps into service for the state immediately upon his wedding night when the city is threatened militarily. Othello's true tragic flaw, then, is his sense of being an outsider. He is apt to be taken advantage of because he came to Venice as a foreigner and he is Black. Even at his most eloquent, he apologizes for his rudeness of speech (1.3). It is this sense of not belonging — despite now holding a high position in the Venetian military — that Iago later exploits in his manipulations of the general's too credulous and open mind.

Racial Prejudice and Brabantio's Rejection

Othello's sense of alienation, unlike his jealousy of his wife, is not without basis, as can be seen in Desdemona's father's comments in Act 1, Scene 3, when he hears of the clandestine marriage. Before Othello was a prospective son-in-law, the man had welcomed him warmly: "Her father loved me; oft invited me" to his home (1.3). But faced with Desdemona's impending marriage, her father states, "For I'll refer me to all things of sense, / If she in chains of magic were not bound." He cannot believe she would spurn "the wealthy curled darlings of our nation" and instead risk general disapproval and scorn: "would ever have, to incur a general mock, / Run from her guardage to the sooty bosom / Of such a thing as thou, to fear, not to delight." He further accuses Othello: "thou hast practised on her with foul charms, / Abused her delicate youth with drugs or minerals / That weaken motion: I'll have't disputed on; / 'Tis probable and palpable to thinking." (1.2)

Only witchcraft, says Brabantio, could cause Desdemona to love Othello — not this Black man's own considerable merits. He calls Othello, despite the hospitality he once showed him, old, ugly, and a figure of scorn. Yet the audience soon learns that Othello wooed Desdemona with his words — a powerful testimony to the power of spoken language, which Iago will later exploit in a negative fashion against the general. "She did deceive her father, marrying you; / And when she seem'd to shake and fear your looks, / She loved them most." (3.3) Iago perceives that Othello feels like an outsider, and he exploits this by stressing the identity of the man who most cruelly abused Othello's race, and by emphasizing Desdemona's status as a subtle, native Venetian — in contrast to Othello's foreign identity.

Works Cited

Abcarian, Richard, and Marvin Klotz. The Human Experience: Reading and Writing. Shorter Eighth Edition. New York: Bedford, 2004.

Shakespeare, William. "Othello." From MIT Shakespeare Homepage.