Context

Question 1

Othello’s hamartia

Answer 1

Othello’s harmatia (tragic flaw) of sexual jealousy makes him vulnerable to manipulation, causing his downfall and, ultimately, the tragic conclusion

Question 2

Tragic hero

Answer 2

He is after all a tragic hero, and his position in the tragedy demands that he begins in a position of greatness before he suffers his tragic fall. Shakespeare establishes Othello’s greatness through focusing on his military prowess and his valour at the start of the play before charting his hero’s descent as he tumbles into chaos. Othello is a soldier for whom the ‘big wars’ make ‘ambition virtue’. By Act 3, however, there is little in him to admire: his valour belongs to a seemingly different world and there is nothing virtuous about a husband who colludes in a plot to destroy his wife.

Question 3

Race

Answer 3

At the start of the play, Othello is portrayed as a respected general in the Venetian army despite his African heritage. However, conforming to the tragic structure, the play’s progression maps Othello’s inevitable fall from grace as Iago succeeds in bringing about the ruin of Othello and his wife Desdemona by revealing to Othello the existence of racist ideas. In the end, people use the color of Othello’s skin to condemn his erratic behavior. And by his believing that racism exists, Othello also creates it.