In conclusion, I feel like Othello's greatest flaw is his gullibility. I choose gullibility over jealousy because it was the fact that he was so naive and unsuspecting of Iago's plans that changed him for the worst.
Connections
Text to world
I feel like a text to world connection would be pretty fitting because people could learn a lesson from reading Othello. They could realize that not everyone always has the best intentions in mind. I don't mean that everyone is out to get you, what I mean is that it can be difficult to find who won't or will betray you in the same way Othello was betrayed by Iago. Othello truly believed that Iago had his back, that Iago was honest and had Othello's back but in reality, Iago didn't. He was selfish, evil, racist, sexist and so much more awful stuff but Othello had no clue since he was unaware of Iago's true identity. People can change for the better or for the worst. That change though, can be affected by the environment a person is in. But that doesn't mean that no one will care for you, it just means that it is okay to have second thoughts about someone. Once again, it can be hard to find people who will be loyal to you and will support you and guide in the right way. When you do, you will know if they will be good to you or if they will be like Iago how he was to Othello.
Text to self
A text to self connection would be that everyone has a good and a bad side, it's just up to us for which one wins over. For Othello, his good side eventually gets taken over by his bad side through out the end of the play. How did that happens you may be asking? Well it is because of his greatest flaw which is the fact that he is too trusting. Othello trusts Iago and thinks highly of him so much so that he even compromised his marriage with Desdemona. But relating back to the connection, I believe that anyone would be able to relate to Othello but up to a certain extent. By that I mean, not a lot of people will get so frustrated and so overwhelmed by jealousy that they will kill their loved one, but I feel like a lot of people tend to be gullible which is not a bad thing if they can control it. If they can control it, then they are golden.
Test to text
A text to text connection would be how a few parts in the end of Walking Home is quite similar to Othello. For example, when Muchoki's mother dies and he finds her family, Muchoki's grandfather is not very happy to find out the news of his late daughter. The grandfather is hurt because he was hopping to be around his daughter eventually but that wouldn't happen anymore. I feel that the hurt that the grandfather was experiencing was the same hurt that Othello felt after he realized Desdemona was innocent the whole time. Othello and the grandfather were devastated, they couldn't believe that their loved one was dead. That hurt is what made me feel the pain they had.
What is Othello's greatest flaw?
What I believe to be Othello's greatest flaw is that he is too trusting. Because Othello is too trusting, it leads him to be extremely jealous which is another flaw that he has. In fact, Othello's jealousy and gullibility go hand in hand quite well. His gullibility leads him to be jealous, while his jealousy makes him more naive to anything Iago says.
Evolution of thoughts in Othello
"I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way
but this, killing myself, to die upon a kiss" (Graphic Shakespeare 41)
Although Othello finds out earlier in the play that Desdemona is loyal to him, he is still for some reason doubting Desdemona. Othello goes through with murdering Desdemona but after hearing about Iago's plan and how Othello was pretty much screwed over, Othello is upset that he has killed the love of his life. So the only way that Othello thought he could fix it is by killing himself as well. This quote because Othello was so naive, even after him talking to Desdemona, he still decided to go through with killing Desdemona. I feel like Othello realizes how gullible he was and the amount of pain he was in so he decided to kill himself to stop that pain.
"What ignorant sin have I committed" (Graphic Shakespeare 29)
This quote happens after Othello finds out from Desdemona that she is loyal to Othello and will never betray him. Othello realizes what he has done and he is regretting his terrible thoughts about Desdemona. This quote shows that Othello was too quick to judge Desdemona. It also shows Othello how gullible he was being and how quick he was to assume his wife being with someone else.
"Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men."(5.2.6)
After Othello finds out about the fake affair going on between Desdemona and Cassio, he is angry that his wife would even do something like that. He wants her dead. His logic is that if Desdemona dies, then she can't seduce other men. This quote shows that Othello is fed up with the affair that isn't even real. This is another time when Othello's flaw of being too gullible leads in.
"O beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on."(1.3.434-435)
In this quote, Iago tries to warn Othello about how being
jealous is a bad thing and how it won't end well when he wants Othello to be jealous. Once again, Iago is playing on Othello's flaws so that his selfish plan can work and he can move on farther in his plan.
"And will as tenderly be led by the nose as asses are." (Shakespeare 1.3.394-395)
In this quote, Iago compares Othello to a donkey by saying how easy it is to manipulate Othello just as you would to a donkey, by their noses but for Othello, Iago has other plans in mind. Iago mentions that he can do what ever he wants with Othello because he knows that Othello will listen to him with no doubt and believe every word he says. Why I choose this quote was because it shows what Iago thinks of Othello, which is that he is so naive and gullible that he will believe anything.
