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‘Othello is more the victim of circumstances than a man snared by his own weaknesses’. Discuss. “In Shakespearean tragedy uncertainty is of the essence” (E. A. J. Honigman) The much-acclaimed Shakespearean critic A.C. Bradley has defined the character Othello as ‘purely noble, strong, generous and trusting and as tragic hero… merely a victim’. However, is it fair to infer that a man’s tragic downfall, due to his own faults, can be classified as victimization? Perhaps Othello’s victimization was not purely due to his own flaws, rather his circumstances which may have contributed to his downfall? As Shakespeare’s masterful plot unfolds, it is witnessed that both Othello’s weaknesses and circumstances contributed equally to his downfall. Othello is a man shrouded in mystery and ‘otherness’. This ‘noble Moor’ is a man of honour, discipline and love. Yet this brilliant soldier and leader is transformed from a rational, honourable man, into a malevolent creature at the hands of a monster best described as a ‘motiveless malignity’ – Iago. Othello’s metamorphosis is disastrous, completely destroying himself and his love Desdemona in a tragic climax. The ensnarement of Othello’s mind