Othello Essay- Accomplice to Tragedy? The genre of tragedy is known and expected to end in misfortune, and often death, with the most part owing to a villainous character. In Shakespeare’s Othello, the villain is the wily Iago, but as cunning and sly as he is, it is questionable whether or not he is held solely responsible for the “success” of his devious plans. Can the other characters in this play also be held …showed first 75 words of 841 total…

…showed last 75 words of 841 total…is successful in this way. Yet, it also seems that Iago’s friends are flawed in that they are too trusting, naive, and easily deceived and manipulated. Iago seems to kick start the trouble, while Cassio, Desdemona, Emilia and others, build on it, due to their own blindness. By walking into the trap set by Iago, these characters are partially responsible for their own downfall or the downfall of others, causing the tragedy of Othello.