Othello Is Essentially An Noble Character, Flawed By Insecurity And A Nature That Is Naive And Unsophisticated
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“Othello is essentially an noble character, flawed by insecurity and a nature that is naive and unsophisticated”. Looking at William Shakespeares Othello The Moor Of Venice, the central character, Othello is revered as the tragic hero. He is a character of high stature that is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. His destruction is essentially precipitated by his own actions, as well as by the actions of the characters surrounding him. The tragedy of Othello is not a fault of a single villain, but is rather a consequence of a wide range of feelings, judgments and misjudgments, and attempts for personal justification exhibited by all of the participants. Othello is first shown as a hero of war and a man of great pride and courage. As the play continues, his character begins to deteriorate and become less noble. Chronologically through the play, Othellos character changes from a flawless military leader, to a murderer. He has certain traits which make him seem naive and unsophisticated compared to his surrounding society.
Othello is depicted as an outsider from the beginning of the play. Within the opening lines of the play, we see how Othello is distanced from much of the action that concerns and affects him. He is ambiguously referred to as “he” or “him” by Roderigo and Iago for much of the first scene and when they do begin to specify just who they are talking about, they use racial epithets, not names. As the two stand beneath Brabantios window, they refer to Othello as “the Moor” (I.i.57), “the thick-lips” (I.i.66), “an old black ram” (I.i.88), and “a Barbary horse” (I.i.113). These comments stand Othello apart from the surrounding Venetian society and immediately alienate him. Because of this isolation, Othello can be perceived to be extremely insecure. Factors such as his age, his life as a soldier, and his self-consciousness about being a racial and cultural outsider, simply play on his unsureness of self and also to an uncertainty and anxiousness of his place in society.
Although Othello is a cultural and racial outsider in Venice, his skill as a soldier and leader is nevertheless valuable and necessary to the state, and he is an integral part of Venetian civic society. These instances heighten his nobility as a character. He is in great demand by the duke and senate due to his honorable qualities. This is evidenced by Cassios comment that the senate “sent about three several quests” to look for Othello (I.ii.46). Othello is a noble man who is well known and respected for his position as a general. He is experienced in battle and shows great courage and demonstrates high levels of dignity. Othello shows immense respect for his fellow man, we see this in his initial relationships with Casio an Iago. Othellos valiant personality is a major part of his success in the military as well as with his marriage, to Desdemona. Because of his exotic qualities, he is able to woo his wife in an art of story telling, reflecting his nobility and honor. Such a storey seduces Desdemona, causing a strong bind to Othello made from a mixture of love and lust. The Venetian government trusts Othello enough to put him in full martial and political command of Cyprus; indeed, in his dying speech, Othello reminds the Venetians of the “service” he has done their state (V.ii.348). However noble or revered by his peers Othello may be, it is his honor, aided by his naivety and insecurity that lead to his destruction.
Othellos naivety can be noted down to his background. Culturally, he is different to the surrounding Venetian society. A prime example of this is his race; his skin is of a different colour to those around him. Because of this key cultural difference, he is more easily lead and therefore more susceptible to Iagos