We are often told to kill our enemies with kindness and that is exactly what Othello did. After facing an abundant amount of hate in his life, he chose to show them kindness in return and that rewarded him with the position of general. Unfortunately, gullible moments tend to ride piggy back to kindness and that is what caused Othello’s death in the end.
As an outsider, Othello had the disadvantage from the start and turned to Iago for guidance. His short time spent in Venice made him completely unaware of the normalities that went on there and Iago was more than willing to help Othello learn the ropes. Othello’s kindness lead him to put full trust into Iago which resulted in his demise. It took one simple conversation between the two to plant the seed of doubt in Othello’s mind and then a misinterpreted moment and Othello was hooked.
The side effect of Othello’s kindness —gullible moments— could have been the reason for his relationship with Desdemona. It is even said that she falls in love with his diversity and past and it seems to be that Othello mistook this for love. For Desdemona, Othello was defiance and adventure, whereas for Othello, Desdemona was a jewel or an ultimate prize. Being in a relationship with Desdemona meant that he had achieved the final stamp of social approval and that all of his kindness would have paid off, but it seemed to be that the gullible aspect bit him in the butt too soon. For so long Othello’s kindness had long blinded him from people’s true identity and is the one to blame for his and others deaths.
At the very start, we see Othello as a very calm and collected person. The people around him put him on a pedestal and despite his skin color referred to him as very admirable, but as we know, the higher up you’re placed the farther you have fall. In Othello’s situation he fall for at least two or three acts. His destruction happened slowly throughout the play and was encouraged by Iago every step of the way. The trust that Othello placed in Iago ultimately backfired on him and leads us to believe that kindness isn’t always the only solution. It is necessary for someone to question and speak their minds, when it is appropriate, but for someone to contain all of their anger and resentment can only destroy them.
For Othello it wasn’t the Turkish fleet that took his life, but the chains of kindness that blinded his judgement. This fatal flaw --kindness— disguises itself as a blessing, but can only be categorized as a death sentence.
As an outsider, Othello had the disadvantage from the start and turned to Iago for guidance. His short time spent in Venice made him completely unaware of the normalities that went on there and Iago was more than willing to help Othello learn the ropes. Othello’s kindness lead him to put full trust into Iago which resulted in his demise. It took one simple conversation between the two to plant the seed of doubt in Othello’s mind and then a misinterpreted moment and Othello was hooked.
The side effect of Othello’s kindness —gullible moments— could have been the reason for his relationship with Desdemona. It is even said that she falls in love with his diversity and past and it seems to be that Othello mistook this for love. For Desdemona, Othello was defiance and adventure, whereas for Othello, Desdemona was a jewel or an ultimate prize. Being in a relationship with Desdemona meant that he had achieved the final stamp of social approval and that all of his kindness would have paid off, but it seemed to be that the gullible aspect bit him in the butt too soon. For so long Othello’s kindness had long blinded him from people’s true identity and is the one to blame for his and others deaths.
At the very start, we see Othello as a very calm and collected person. The people around him put him on a pedestal and despite his skin color referred to him as very admirable, but as we know, the higher up you’re placed the farther you have fall. In Othello’s situation he fall for at least two or three acts. His destruction happened slowly throughout the play and was encouraged by Iago every step of the way. The trust that Othello placed in Iago ultimately backfired on him and leads us to believe that kindness isn’t always the only solution. It is necessary for someone to question and speak their minds, when it is appropriate, but for someone to contain all of their anger and resentment can only destroy them.
For Othello it wasn’t the Turkish fleet that took his life, but the chains of kindness that blinded his judgement. This fatal flaw --kindness— disguises itself as a blessing, but can only be categorized as a death sentence.