Despite his quarrel with Brabantio, Othello is a successful leader in the way he composed himself when addressing the senators who had assembled.” He can also be viewed as an unreliable leader because he does not go into detail about the confusion with Cassion and instead blames his close ally for the issue. As a result, the protagonist fulfills the requirement of being both an efficient and unsuccessful leader.
Othello is mindful of race and he is a black man who has faced racial injustice. He, on the other hand, believes he should do this to define his relationships with others. For example, when he realizes that he needs to wake Brabantio of the relations he has with his daughter, he resorts to racism by referring to Brabantio as a “white ewe.” He is, thus, geared at manipulating Brabantio’s fear and demonstrates racism (Shakespeare 1).
Tragic flaw is apparent from the manner in which Othello confesses his love for Desdemona. By being open to the Duke, the Venetian council, and Brabantio, Othello demonstrates the desire to impress the world. However, he cannot manage to address his wife on the same scale which means that he is bound to fail in the desire to develop his intimate relations. Overall, this would lead to his ultimate failure as a leader and husband.
Othello’s view of love seems to be defined by power and the ability to manipulate feelings. The element of power makes him believe that he has an advantage over Roderigo, and he proceeds to take advantage of him when he was addressing the senators at the Duke’s residence. In fact, it is upon this basis that he explains that he convinced Desdemona from the sad stories he told her himself. Later, it all changes as he perceives love as an element of power.
Othello is unable to trust other characters, and this aspect is among the major issues that cause his downfall because he ends up being manipulated easily. He trusts Cassio too much and when Iago realizes this, he decided to make Cassio drunk. As a result, Othello ends up thinking that Cassio did something wrong. In the end, it builds up to a level that he thinks Cassio is in a relationship with Desdemona and suggests for both to be killed, unaware that it was Iago’s plot.
Reputation is a central basis that defines Othello’s perception of his world, and it is the basis for his confidence that he deserves Desdemona. It is also significant in the minds of the others in the Venetian state because Brabartio feels that the suited person to take his daughter is Roderigo who was a dissolute Venetian.
Obedience in Othello is a central feature that defines the relations that proceed in the book and is an element of identity. Othello is a leader, and, as such, he feels that he should be obeyed by the people he is leading to be identified. Similarly, Desdemona’s father expects his daughter to be obedient to him and follow the idea of marrying the preferred suitor Roderigo. In the end, both feel that they have been betrayed by Desdemona, and they both curse her to an extent that Othello wishes her dead as she destroyed his identity.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Othello. New York: Dover Publications, Inc, 1996. Print.
