Othello has been described as ‘fatally self-centred and lacking in self knowledge. Evaluate Shakespeare’s presentation of Othello in light of this view.

Although the nature of Othello is considered somewhat debateable throughout the play he behaves in a nature that shows Shakespeare’s presentation of him being arrogant, self obsessed and lacking in self knowledge and emotional self knowledge. This is due to the stereotype of his race at the time and his flaws as a tragic hero. At first he appears to be noble and respectable as he speaks in prose and pears to be reasonable. Thereafter however is behaviour deteriorates as does the nature of his speech and when his apparently noble state is delved into further it becomes clear that his motivations are entirely self centred.

He first show’s his self centred nature in act 1 when questioned about Desdemona’s love for him and is accused of using witchcraft to achieve it. ‘She loved me for the dangers I had passed and I loved her that she did pity them. This is the only witchcraft I have used.’ This show’s he is self centred because he considers his stories so amazing that she could not resist falling in love with him. This also shows he is lacking in knowledge of emotions and does not understand them because he does not comprehend that love is a lot more involved than being impressed by tales of danger and heroism. His arrogance means that he cannot see the bigger picture that his marriage to a white woman of status and the fact that their love is based on a feeble excuse will eventually cause his downfall. This scene also shows how selfish he is because he shows’s great disrespect to her father in that culture by not getting his approval for the marriage and brings shame on him. Not only that however he takes his daughter from him, by doing so also brings shame on him because it is not a match he would be proud of as many would disagree with it due to prejudice of his race and status as a military man, although he had a high rank it is not of the aristocracy and did not raise her status. ‘She is abused, stolen from me, and corrupted’ it is also self centred to take