A tragic hero is usually depicted as a protagonist and is a type of character in a tragedy. Within this tragedy of which they are a part, they are typically placed with heroic traits that allow them to gain the audience's sympathy. However, they also come with flaws that play a major role in leading to their mistakes which add up to the cause of their own downfall. Throughout our lives, there are several “heroes” we honor. It can be anything from someone saving a cat from a tree, firefighters, policemen, and the list goes on and on. However, the rarest of all is the “tragic hero”. Othello is a clear example of this, through his noble traits, noble flaws and tragic fall. While he can be a hero in most situations, once his emotions take over his personality and characteristics, it soon turns into a quick argument filled with a roller coaster of negative emotions and decisions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Othello proves himself to be a noble character through his high social rank and his heart of gold which is shown in the moments when he talks about Desdemona. Othello continues to maintain a loving and noble nature for humanity, even though he originated from a difficult past, as he expressed to the Duke, "In which I spoke of the most dire possibilities, / Of moving accidents through floods and fields, / Of breadth of hair 'escapes the 'imminent mortal violation,/of being taken by the insolent enemy/and sold into slavery, of my redemption there.” Othello had experienced unfortunate disasters, adventures by sea and land, catastrophes and slavery. However, these experiences never gave him reason to hate those who were different from him, in fact, he was quite fond of their lifestyle and personality. Furthermore, he never disrespects Desdemona or anyone of higher rank, up to to his fall, even though he was not always treated with the respect he deserved because of his ethnicity, color, religion, etc. the race is said behind his back now, an old black ram/He's punching your white sheep. Get up, get up." Within this thought, Iago clearly compares Othello to an "old black ram" due to his age and color. Throughout the play, Othello continues to prove that he is as worthy of respect and equality as anyone else. He goes on to use his ranking as an example that anything is possible for anyone, even if it may be difficult at first. Othello is ultimately seen as a protagonist with a character flaw, which in this case is the only thing that will push him over the ledge. What makes Othello a tragic hero is his tragic flaw. Yes, he is jealous and naive, but his biggest flaw is his insecurities. For this reason Iago easily managed to take advantage of him and convince him that Desdemona had been an unfaithful wife to him. Iago states, "He deceived his father, marrying you, / And when he seemed to tremble and fear your gaze, / He loved them more. / And so he did." Iago does this to suggest to Othello that if Desdemona could disobey her own father, she would surely deceive her husband. Thus, causing a personality change for Othello as he agrees with Iago rather than noticing the fact that Desdemona ran away with him to get married, despite what others believed, because she was faithful to their love and would continue to be. Furthermore, being the only black character, he became an easy target for Iago to manipulate as he begins to believe that Desdemonda would never want to be with him inbecause of the color of his skin and his background. This is demonstrated when Othello says, “Perhaps, because I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chambers have, or because I am rejected.” This begins to show the turning point of Othello's confidence and the onset of his insecurity of being the only black individual and coming from a different background from the others which leads him to believe everything Iago tells him. Fatal flaws usually result in some sort of death internally, externally, or both. For Othello it was both. Shortly after his weakness begins to manifest and take over, he begins to treat his wife badly and eventually kills her by suffocating her to death. This event led to the tragic hero's suicide, as he soon realized that what he had done was a terrible mistake and left him with a broken heart and a destroyed state of mind. Othello's fatal flaw was used to shed light on some of humanity's darkest characteristics, as it was a normal emotion that he was taking to the extreme due to those individuals who continued to attempt to manipulate him. Unfortunately, Othello's story continues to remain closely connected to modern society in the sense that people today have a harder time holding back their jealous and racist thoughts and at the same time don't have the confidence to talk openly about their insecurities. Jealousy, for example, plays an important role in the daily life of every human being, as it forces us to point out the unreasonable in situations. Iago refers to jealousy metaphorically when he conveys "Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster that mocks / Of the flesh he feeds on." He makes the comparison between jealousy and a monster as it serves as a driving force for Iago to manipulate Othello in order to get revenge on him for promoting Cassio to leautinet rather than Iago. For example, the situation that Othello, Roderigo, Cassio, and Desdemona were in represents an example of jealousy within a relationship and what it could possibly lead to. It is a recognizable situation even today, due to the fact that jealous individuals within a relationship usually act inappropriately to "protect" those they are in love with, which is ultimately why Roderigo attacks Cassio after Iago brainwashed Cassio and Desdemona. they were together. Another factor that plays in today's society is racism. Racism has affected society since the beginning of civilization and continues to do so on a daily basis. It was very relevant during the time of the opera and is still relevant today. With the play featuring a black Muslim man, it is geared towards responding to the racial policies towards the Moors that took place during the Elizabethan era. Therefore, Shakespeare used Othello to portray him as a civilized and noble protagonist in order to force his audience to reconsider the racial status that occurred in the 17th century. For today's audience, it is a lesson to all that if individuals took the time and effort to truly get to know someone before basing their personality on their differences, the world would be a much better place with much less hatred towards ethnicities, religions, etc. Othello's insecurity also allowed him to be easier to manipulate. Everyone is insecure about one of their characteristics at least once in their life. However, the difference is all in how we handle it. Iago states, “The Moor is a free and open nature/who thinks men are honest but seems to do so.” This proves that anyone can be exploited just because they are an open-minded person. Being insecure about his race.