Othello: An Extraordinary Person The Bard of Avon created an extraordinary person in the character of General Othello in the tragedy Othello. In this essay we examine in detail the multifaceted personality of this doomed hero. Helen Gardner in "Othello: a tragedy of beauty and fortune" talks about the exceptional personal qualities of the hero: Othello is like a hero of the ancient world in this he is not a man like us, but a man recognized as extraordinary. He seems born to perform great deeds and live in legend. He has the obvious heroic qualities of courage and strength, and no actor can play the role if he isn't physically impressive. He has the heroic capacity of passion. But what distinguishes him most is his solitude. He is a foreigner, a man of an alien race, without natural constraints or natural duties. His value does not lie in what the world thinks of him, even if the world thinks highly of him, and does not derive in any way from his position. It's inherent. He is, in a certain sense, a "self made man", the product of a certain kind of life he has chosen to lead. . . . (140)Despite the wonderful personal attributes he possesses, Othello still falls prey to the sinister Iago. His gullibility and naivety make this possible. Francis Ferguson in “Two Worldviews Echo Each Other” describes how Othello carries out Iago's plan of destruction: Othello moves to kill Desdemona (Act V, scene 2) with that “cold and compulsive current” that he felt at the end of Act III, scene 3. We hear once again the music and the cold and magnificent images that express his “perfect soul”: Yet I will not shed his blood, nor scar that skin of his whiter than snow, and smooth as. .. ...half of the sheet...Through dialogue." Readings on Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprinted from Literature. N. p.: Random House, 1986.Ferguson, Francis . “Two worldviews echo each other.” Readings on Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprinted from Shakespeare: The Pattern in His Carpet. Np: np, 1970.Gardner, Helen tragedies. Clarice Swisher. Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprinted from “The Noble Moor”, No. 9, 1955. Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. 1985.Shakespeare, Othello. In Princeton University. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html..