Manipulation is an art form.

The ability to control people by simple remarks is a gift not many people are cursed with. In Shakespeares, Othello, the brilliantly evil Iago is the king of manipulation. For that reason alone readers would say that the blame for the tragedy of Othello falls on Iago, but Othello had a big part in the blame as well. The military general repeatedly allowed himself to be manipulated and acted rashly because of it. Othello is responsible for the fallout of Othello. From the beginning of the play, the readers are lead to believe that Othello is a noble general and is respected by his peers. His race, however, deters the people who do not have the privilege to work beside him. Othello is often called the Moor (I.i.42) and is compared to animals, such as an old black ram (I.i.97). The men around Othello dehumanize him when they use horrid names to refer to him and by doing so, make him feel inadequate. Othello even belittles himself when he says, Rude am I in speech,/And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace (I.iii.96-97) even though he spoke beautifully. If a person is continually made to feel inferior, they begin to believe that it is true and Othello does to an extent. The majority of the blame goes to this factor because a man should never get married if he is not comfortable and trusting of himself. When Iago would tell him lies about Desdemona, Othellos insecurities about himself caused him to find truth in what Iago said. Sensitivity is what every girl wants her man to have, but not when it reaches levels of crazy. After reading the play, it seems that Desdemona and Othello where not actually in love with each other. There is no evidence of an emotional or physical attraction between the two and both are crucial for successful marriages. What Othello and Desdemona do have is an intellectual attraction. Othello has traveled the world and had many adventures and his stories are always fascinating to Desdemona. After hearing Othello tell a story of his adventures, Desdemona told him she wished/ That heaven had made her such a man (I.iii.187-188). Desdemona told him straight to his face that she wanted to be that brave and adventurous, but he saw it as a devotion of love, which he has never experienced. He remembered that She thanked me (I.iii.188189) which shows just how deprived of love Othello has been. He grasped onto the first person to be affectionate when he should have realized that they were too different. One of the biggest differences between Desdemona and Othello is their age. Othello has had many years in the military and is quite respected for what he does. That kind of notoriety comes with years of experience, making Othello to be in his forties. Desdemona is very beautiful and much younger than Othello. Relationships with large age gaps are difficult because there is less to have in common and the level of maturity is diverse. With Othello having more time to experience life and with Desdemona being a young, attractive girl, it should have been common sense to Othello that she would be

promiscuous or rumored to be promiscuous. Othello should have taken the risks of marriage into account. The hardest part of life is never knowing if the people you love are being honest. We cannot control other people, we can only control ourselves and that is why the blame is put on Othello. Desdemonas father, Brabantio, tells Othello after finding out about their secret marriage to be careful because She has deceived her father, and may thee (I.iii.334). Othello was warned, he knew Desdemona was young and wanted adventure, and he has spent years as a military general but he still allowed himself to be persuaded by a man who meant nothing to him; he did not take control of his actions or emotions. The death of Desdemona is Othellos fault. He allowed the rumors to escalate to extremely rash levels and ultimately murdered the only person who loved him. His insecurities of his race made him vulnerable and weak something a general is never supposed to be. Love is a battlefield and Othello lost the war.