Analysis Of Othello's Tragic Flaw

There are a few characters in the book Othello that can be characterized by jealousy. However, there is one character in specific that is riddled with jealousy which evidently is his tragic flaw. Before getting into who this character is, what is jealousy? Jealousy is defined by an extreme emotion one feels such as humiliation, rage, and a fear of abandonment. This emotion arises when a third party suspects a threat to a relationship (Psychology Today). Now, from this text, it is obvious that the most jealous character in Othello is Othello himself and this third party is Iago. This essay will discuss Othello’s tragic flaw, the actions and paths he chooses to take caused by his uncontrolled jealous rage, and why Othello stands out to be the most prominent tragically-jealous character. To begin, Othello is a tragic play which has a tragic hero. A tragic hero possesses a tragic flaw and that is , “an outstanding person who possess a character of weakness” (Literary Terms for Eng. 12/Dye). That tragic hero is Othello and his tragic flaw is jealousy. In act three, scene three, Iago is talking to Othello about his suspicion that Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio, this is where Othello’s beginning signs of jealousy become apparent for he says, “I’ll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove; And on the proof, there is no more but this: Away at once with love or jealousy” (Shakespeare, Othello, 3.3. 221-223). Iago is really starting to convince Othello about Desdemona’s