Othello is a tragedy. But what qualities does it possess that qualify it as such? The fundamental difference between comedy and tragedy is the ability to reconcile and tolerate the inevitable weaknesses of the human condition. In Othello nothing is tolerated and nothing is reconciled. Instead, Iago provides the spark and fuel to light a fire that ultimately consumes all of the characters. Although Iago's responsibility for what happens is undeniable, however, the subsequent events would not have been possible if a social structure had not already been established that allowed for such an all-consuming fire. The tragedy of Othello occurs when the supposed virtue of the main characters turns to evil, allowing Iago's plan to flourish. That virtue, however, was already unstable before Iago's intervention. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Immediately before committing suicide, Othello compares himself to the "vile Indian" who threw away a pearl (5.2.356). This is significant because in this moment Othello recognizes himself as the ignorant barbarian that Venetian society has always believed him to be. Another potential phrase in the verse, based on the paper, is “Jew,” replacing Indian. By comparing himself to a Jew rather than a barbarian, there is a greater sense of malice going on, perhaps alluding to Judas' betrayal of Jesus. In both sentences, however, Othello condemns himself, either as a barbarian or simply as a degraded human being. Both sentences serve to confirm what, one might assume, prevailing society has always suspected. Othello has always been an outsider. Despite that status, however, and the resulting fog of suspicion that status brought, Othello had built an image of himself as a virtuous man. A brave, noble, courageous warrior and protector of Venice. Whether or not the virtue was real or imaginary is peripheral to the discussion since, regardless of Othello's true nature, his outward appearance was certainly a construction made necessary by the attitudes of Venetian society at the time. As evidenced by Brabantio's response when he heard that his daughter had been kidnapped by Othello, and by the frequency with which Othello is called "The Moor", people had an expectation of what a Moor would be: a barbarian, an ignorant beast . In order for Othello to exceed that expectation, he had to create an almost superhuman construction of himself. Even a truly virtuous man, if faced with the same cultural obstacles as Othello, would need to create a particularly extraordinary outward projection to compensate for the inherent disadvantages he faced. In short, Othello's virtue was, at least in part, imagined, a fact of which he was painfully aware. Likewise, Desdemona's virtue was something that had to be maintained at all costs. As Desdemona herself laments upon learning of Cassio's supposed fate, shortly before Othello kills her, "Alas, he is betrayed, and I am destroyed. (5.2.83)." Desdemona is "unmade" because her virtue has been destroyed (of course she is also about to die). It is important to point out, however, that Desdemona never did anything to destroy that virtue. Instead, in this case, virtue is something external; more a perception than a reality. Her husband Othello no longer believes that Desdemona is virtuous and so that virtue has been destroyed, she has been "undoed" and death follows. The key to revealing the virtue of both Desdemona and Othello lies, in fact, entirely within perceptions and their intrinsic unreliability: the perceptions of Othello, Desdemona and society,.