Othello

Text Guides

Key Themes Analysis

The role of Othello

Is Othello the main character of this play? On the surface, of course – he is the eponymous character, after all. However, Iago actually has the most lines: 1,097 to be exact, out of the 3,560 in the entire play. This subverts our expectation that Othello as the tragic hero, or protagonist, should have the most lines and occupy most of our focus. So is Othello truly the protagonist in this text?

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