As William Shakespeare's only truly Aristotelian tragedy, Othello has no subplot or comic relief and, when originally performed, had little spectacle in the way of setting or action . The absence of these distractions leaves the themes of the work defined and evident. The story of Othello's fall from grace can show the audience three main ideas: how jealousy has disastrous consequences, how innocence is little protection against these consequences, and how revenge can harm those who seek it. These themes are shown through characterization and action. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Othello shows the audience the harmful effects of jealousy through the actions of Othello himself. He is jealous of his lieutenant Cassio, because Othello has been led to believe that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio, thus making him incredibly jealous. This jealousy creates a breach of trust between Othello and his once loyal lieutenant. Othello wishes to kill Cassio and uses underhanded methods to gain information from Cassio. In Act 4, scene 1, Othello hides while Iago pretends to talk to Cassio about Desdemona and then the two plot Cassio's murder. However, the destruction of loyalty is only one of the horrible results of envy, as Shakespeare shows his audience. Othello's raging jealousy ultimately inhibits his clear thinking. Through his manipulation, Iago causes Othello's uncontrollable emotions and therefore governs Othello's actions. At one point, he is so consumed by his emotions that he breaks down. It is almost Othello's fault that Iago can so easily manipulate him, because Othello never seeks another character's story or opinion on Iago's information. Iago states, “I told him what I thought, and said no more than he himself found to be proper and true” (Act 5, Scene 2). Othello gets all his information and evidence from Iago's suggestions and even goes so far as to nickname him "honest Iago", an irony and a total lapse of trust that ultimately costs Othello his life and that of his wife. He kills Desdemona without ever hearing her side of the story. This shows that Othello's jealousy created mistrust and loss of rational thinking, which led to the murder. Over the course of the play, Desdemona evolves as the unsuspecting ingénue, the final victim who is unjustly punished. Through her, Shakespeare shows his audience that innocence without protection against evil. Even in his anger towards her, Othello calls Desdemona "a fair woman, a fair woman, a sweet woman!" (Act 4, scene 1). She is often associated with the color white, in contrast to Othello's association with black, as Iago proclaims to Desdemona's father, "? An old black ram is taking your white sheep" (Act 1, Scene 1). Purity and innocence are often symbolized through the color white. She is not guilty of Othello and Iago's accusations, as Emilia said to Othello: "Oh, it was heavenly true!" (Act 5, scene 2). Therefore, Desdemona is portrayed as pure and innocent. However, despite her righteousness, she is still ultimately killed by Othello for crimes she did not commit, as Emilia shows Othello: "? You killed the sweetest innocent that ever looked up" (Act 5, scene 2) . Even as she dies, she tries to remove Othello from the blame, for when asked who hurt her, she replies, "No one. Myself. Goodbye" (Act 5, scene 2). Both of Othello's main male characters seek revenge for their "wrongs," and through their fates, Shakespeare shows how vengeance returns to hurt those who seek it. Iago, yes.