In Shakespeare' Othello, the tragic hero Othello is driven primarily by jealousy, confusion, and a sense of inferiority to murder his wife Desdemona. Iago sets up a ruse to get Othello to believe that Desdemona has been having an affair with Othello's new lieutenant Michael Cassio. When Othello asks for "ocular proof," and Iago is able to set up the handkerchief as the tangible symbol of the affair, Othello is driven into a jealous rage. Othello's inner sense of inferiority and the general public's implicit racism set the foundation for Othello's jealousy: Othello believes that Michael Cassio is a more worthy man for Desdemona because he is young, handsome, and educated--plus, he is the right "complexion." Before marrying Desdemona, Othello made himself vulnerable to her by sharing with her all the special tales of his past hardships, and he felt that she truly loved him for the man he is. So when Desdemona appears through Iago's trickery to be false, Othello becomes over-emotional and irrational. He murders her so that she cannot play false any longer to him or to any other man.
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