In William Shakespeare's play Othello, Iago, the villain, deceives the main character, Othello, into believing that his wife is unfaithful. Although Iago's claims are not true, Othello believes him, and by the end of the play, jealousy gets the better of Othello. Othello's jealousy is so intense that he kills his beautiful and faithful wife Desdemona because of her unfortunate trust in Iago. Because jealousy is not inherent in Othello's nature, it seems strange that his jealousy drives him to murder. Iago's reasons for wanting to destroy Othello are also questionable. The analysis will uncover the characters' unique motivations for their actions. Othello is the tragic hero of the play, whose tragic flaw is jealousy. At first, Othello seems to display only superior qualities. He has a good reputation and people respect him as a good lieutenant and a man of noble character. Othello takes the best in people and trusts everyone. Before the play begins, Othello runs away with Desdemona. Desdemona is the senator's daughter and some believe Othello married her to gain political advantage. However, Othello demonstrates his honesty when he exposes that he himself comes from noble heritage. Later, Othello shows his dignity and great sense of security when he discourages the men from fighting. He said: “Keep your swords shining, for the dew will rust them. Good signor, you will command more with years than with your weapons. In this quote he shows wisdom and dignity by telling men that age and status generate more respect than strength. Another great quality of Othello is that his relationship with Desdemona is not purely sexual. He loves Desdemona for her personality and for everything she is. After marrying Desdemona, Othello must...... middle of paper ......enter. EBSCO. Internet. April 7, 2011. Macaulay, Marcia. “When chaos returns: narrative and narrative analysis in Othello.” Style 39.3 (Fall 2005): 259-276. Rep. in Shakespearean criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol.108. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Information Resource Center. Internet. April 10, 2011. Prior, Moody E. "Character in Relation to Action in 'Othello'" Modern Philology. 4th ed. Flight. 44.University of Chicago. 225-37. JSTOR. Internet. April 8, 2011.Shakespeare, William. “Othello.” Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Rev. Custom edition for San Jacinto College-Central. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2010. 1248-1348. Print.Wood, Sam. "Where Iago is: Home, Honesty, and the Turk in Othello." Modern Literary Studies 14.3 (2009): 12. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Internet. April 7. 2011.