STEP 5 Think further and prepare for your test: Othello's tragic flaw and downfall
Read the text and decide if the statements are true or false. Then look at the prompts in brackets and write some extra reflections in your exercise book. You can use the final text as revision material for your test.
Othello's initial trust in Desdemona is strong. He sees her as pure and good. However, Iago, a skilled liar (Look at Iago and his manipulative skills in action in T23 of your textbook), makes Othello doubt her. These doubts grow because Othello is already insecure about his race and age: he is middle-aged while Desdemona is young, he is a Moor, an outsider while Desdemona is a Venetian. (Refer to section 3.19 in your textbook to collect information on Othello as an outsider.) Jealousy, which starts as a small feeling, becomes a big obsession.
As jealousy takes over, Othello's mind becomes unclear. (Refer to the mixed thoughts analysed in STEPS 3 and 4 that emerge in the soliloquy of the passage.) He believes the fake 'evidence' Iago shows him and ignores any logical explanations. His love for Desdemona, once a source of happiness, turns into anger. The 'balmy breath' he once loved now symbolises betrayal.
Othello's actions are the result of his own insecurities and Iago's lies. He ends up destroying the person he loves because of his rage. This shows how dangerous unchecked emotions like jealousy can be and the harm they can cause.
In short, Othello's jealousy, fuelled by Iago's lies, turns into a blinding rage, leading to his and Desdemona's tragic end. (Look at the plot and refer to the ending of the play.)
A: Othello's trust in Desdemona was absent from the beginning.
B: Iago's lies make Othello doubt Desdemona.
C: Othello is confident in his race and age.
D: Jealousy becomes a big obsession for Othello.
E: Othello' downfall is caused by his own insecurities and anger.