The story of Othello commences in the streets of Venice when the reader is brought into the middle of a discourse concerning the recent nuptial of the Commander of Venice's
Army, Othello, to the highly esteemed Senator's daughter, Desdemona. This discussion
is being carried on by two significant characters, Iago, a military officer in the Venetian
army, and Roderigo, an ordinary Venetian civilian. Iago informs Roderigo of his rancor
towards Othello (the Moor) and his motives for destroying him are divulged. At this
time, Iago's ruinous contrivance has not yet surfaced, but the reader does get the sense
that Iago's hatred for Othello is more profound then the mere fact that Cassio was
promoted to lieutenant over him. Within the first two pages, the reader acquires a great
amount of details about both the characters and the ascending situation. It is from this
point on that the reader begins to learn more about Othello. The fist act intimates that
the characteristics which make him strong, are concurrently those which make him weak.
The first act in itself portrays Othello very intricately and his enumerated
descriptions bestow on him the prospects of becoming a Tragic Hero. A Tragic Hero is
defined by two prominent characteristics. The first of these is that the character must be
a nobleman, or of royalty. The second is that the character must have a tragic flaw (that
leads to his/her demise). This flaw is not restricted by any bounds, it could, de facto, be
anything from being too honest and chaste, to being filled with hubris. Othello
manifests both of these classifications within the first act, but it is not yet resolved
whether he is a Tragic Hero or not, because the reader does not know if his 'flaw' will be
the death of him.
Othello held the chief military position as Governor-general of Cyprus. That in
itself emanates a demeanor that makes him acclaimed for his valiancy and honor.
Although he is often sho...