geography ;)

The tragic element of Shakespearean play Othello, are magnified by the tragic hero, The Moor. He suffers more than anyone else while having much more responsibility than the other characters. He is a perfect conductor to set all of Venice on fire. Iago sees a target and strikes him with deceptive a cunning. While Iago burns down the trunk of the great tree of Othello, the branches will be set ablaze as well.

Othello is the conductor of tragedy because Iago uses him to create turmoil in every ones lives. Targeting Othello is easy for Iago because Othello is connected with everyone in the play in some way. All of the people involved in Othello's life would be targets for Iago as well as to increase the suffering of Othello. Through Othello's suffering, Iago believes he will be happy, but ironically he causes his own suffering and the suffering of everyone he speaks to. Othello's good traits and the good traits of those around him are manipulated by Iago to be used for evil, and that is tragic.


Iago is the lighting strike to the great tree of Othello that destroys everyone. Othello has many branches that connects to tragedy of a characters in the play. Their lives crumble in more subtle ways, and Othello suffering is brought about from other's suffering. Othello questions Desdemona's devotion to him and Desdemona is thus destroyed. This is tragic because Desdemona is completely loyal to her husband and Cassio is nothing but loyal to Othello. Iago carefully calculates the effects of every one's actions that he controls. Iago's wife speaks of her husband with adoration, "Good madam, do: I warrant it grieves my husband, As if the case were his."(Shakespeare Act 3 Scene 3 lines 4-5), her husband is grieved by the case because he has become obsessed with destroying everyone.

Othello can not help that Iago has turned a good trait in to a flaw. Othello's love for his wife, his lieutenant, and for Iago has been turned against him for nothing but evil. The tragedy of the play is that love can be turned into hate so easily.

Shakespeare, William. Othello. 1st.