The Manipulation Of Jealousy In Shakespeare's Othello

The Shakespearean play Othello revolves around the life of the tragic hero, Othello. For a man of high honor with an impeccable military knowledge, he is foolish and cruel to his wife, so why does he remain as a sympathetic character? Like a child who is manipulated because of their naive nature, Othello was exploited due to his love for Desdemona. The two individuals portray jealousy when deprived of love and in their perspective, the best solution can be resolved through violence. The audience feels pathos for Othello because of his childlike mentality, insinuating that maturity is measured by one's intelligence, regardless of their age. The tragic hero is not quite attentive, similar to those of younger ages meaning both individuals are very gullible. When Othello's perspective of Desdemona changes, it becomes evident that Iago's manipulation was successful because Othello had never considered Desdemona to betray him. This is illustrated in the following passage when Othello states "[h]er name, that was as fresh [a]s Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black [a]s mine own face" (Othello, 3.3.386-388). He uses imagery to exaggerate Desdemona's cruelty, how a women once pure as snow becomes darker than his face. Even with little convincing, Othello still fell under Iago's …show more content…
Maturity is measured by intelligence explaining why the audience feels pathos for Othello as he resembles a child. This is evident when Othello lost his and his beloved wife's lives through Iago's successful manipulation. He is easily manipulated and behaves on behalf of jealousy. However, if Othello is not treated of his jealousy, he will reply on violence as a source of conflict resolution. Othello preserves the audience's empathy not because he is a tragic hero, but because of his child-like mentality refuting that age does not define one's