It has been questioned whether Othello deserves the title
of a tragic character as he is not recognised as of noble birth by the society in which
he exists. Othello is a well-respected and successful military figure in Venice, but he
is not a member of the royal family.
Herein may lie some
of the jealousy; from Othello to the position of those around him, who were born into
their ranks rather than making themselves 'noble' as he has. This contrasts with the
jealousy of 'Iago', tortured in the belief that Othello has denied him his rightful
promotion to lieutenant, and may have slept with his wife, Emilia. Othello’s jealousy
towards Cassio and the believed affair with Desdemona may be rooted in Othello’s
insecurity in a society where he is still regarded as an outsider by
some.
Love comes in such a wide range of forms in
Shakespeare’s plays – courtly, familial, sexual, platonic, filial, to name but a few.
You would need to identify the characters you wish this theme to apply to in order to
develop a refined answer.
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