Othello: Act 3

1. What is a tragic flaw? What do you believe is Othello's tragic flaw? What is your tragic flaw? Explain.

A tragic flaw is something a person has about themselves that can bring them harm. Othello's is that he is very naïve and very oblivious. My tragic flaw is that I am very gullible. I always feel bad for someone and take them in and always avoid conflict and help a person out, when in the end, I end up getting tore up and just used.

2. Below is the Shakespearean and modern version of Othello. Examine the quote about a good reputation. What does Iago mean through this quote? How valuable do you believe a reputation is? What is your reputation? What kind of name do you have amongst others? 

"A good reputation is the most valuable thing we have—men and women alike. If you steal my money, you’re just stealing trash. It’s something, it’s nothing: it’s yours, it’s mine, and it’ll belong to thousands more. But if you steal my reputation, you’re robbing me of something that doesn’t make you richer, but makes me much poorer."

"Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,

Is the immediate jewel of their souls.

Who steals my purse steals trash. 'Tis something, nothing:

'Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands.

But he that filches from me my good name

Robs me of that which not enriches him

And makes me poor indeed."

What Iago means is that when someone ruins your reputation, you lose certain potential that your reputation had you built up to have. You also lose relations with people, and have broken friendships. I, therefore, believe a nice reputation is good to have but it isn't everything, because a reputation is what society views you as, not yourself; and to me, as long as I feel that I am doing what is right and staying true to myself, that is all that matters. I believe I have an okay reputation of myself. People tend to view me as the one who is always out there, and dresses out of the box, and to be creative, and very LOUD. lol

 

3. Connect this quote to another film/movie/book or to your own personal life. 

Ideas can be like poisons. At first they hardly even taste bad, but once they get into your blood they start burning like hot lava.

Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons

Which at the first are scarce found to distaste,

But with a little act upon the blood

Burn like the mines of sulfur.

In my life, ideas have been ran across to me by people, and it is my choice to listen to it and take it to heart, or just shrug it off. But every idea is poison in a way, because it seems to be the potion to cure of how one feels, but it isn't always. In my life, there have been many ideas, but only few have actually been true.