Change In Othello's Character

In the play Othello, there are many different characters that get characterized in different ways. One that stands out, however, is Othello himself, the namesake of the play. Shakespeare uses characterization and dialogue in Othello to trace the Moor of Venice's descent from a noble man to a tragic hero who kills his beloved wife as well as to illustrate Othello's character through Iago's commentary.
In order to show the reader exactly how Othello has changed so much throughout the play, Shakespeare uses Iago's commentary to further cement Othello's altered personality. Othello's name is in the title of the play, but many times it seems Iago is the main character. This is because Iago has more lines of dialogue than any other character. Many of these lines do much to characterize Othello. An example …show more content…
Othello starts out as a rather dignified, trusting individual and ends as a guilt-ridden murderer. Many people in the play made mentions of Othello’s noble nature, as shown above, but one quote that characterized him at the end of the play is, “Ay, let her rot, and perish and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone. I strike it, and it hurts my hand. O, the world hath not a sweeter creature! She might lie by an emperor's side and command him tasks” (Act 4, Scene 1). His passion for Desdemona has turned into hatred at this point. The noble Moor is no longer, to be replaced by a spiteful, jealous man. This really shows how Othello’s character by the end of the play, as his fierce love for Desdemona has fairly easily been changed to severe hatred. Othello had been easy to manipulate due to his good, noble nature and that manipulation changed him into something completely different. All of Othello’s previous noble characteristics have been turned into crazy, murderous