why good people do bad things: lessons from Othello

We've all been there, right? The moment when you look back at something you did or said, and you're left wondering, "what the heck was I thinking?" Maybe you snapped at someone when you didn't mean to, or treated someone a way you wouldn't want to be treated, and now you're just feeling... so guilty. It's that feeling that, deep down, you're a good person but somehow made a bad choice, and I've personally felt this way more times than I'd like to admit. Reading Othello gave me a reminder that the line between good and bad is more of a gradient.

Othello was introduced in the play as this dark-skinned Moor living in Venice. This decorated military officer that seemed to have everything going on for him. He's shown as a man who beat all odds and now sits at the top through handwork and determination, a picturesque societal representation of success.

So how could he have turned into such a bad person so quickly?

Well, Othello's downfall isn't about being inherently bad; it is about being consumed by your feelings of insecurity and trust issues. He wants to believe in his wife's loyalty, but ultimately doesn't and kills her.



While I don't relate to the drastic measures used by Othello, I did gain a couple of takeaways that I could relate to:

1). "good" people are fully capable of making mistakes, but it is important to not let these mistake define themselves like Othello did.

2). communication is KEY. Pause, breathe, and really talk things out.

3). choose to be better pls. Have awareness, growth, and trust.




 

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