"Emelia is the real hero of Othello".

Write an introductory paragraph which presents your thesis and at least two main points in support of this, as well as one of the body paragraphs.

In Othello there are no characters which have rightly deserved the title of 'hero.' Even though Emelia was the most heroic of all characters she was in no way a hero. In the first part of the play Emelia is presented as the wife of the villain, Iago, and therefore is seen as a villain also. She cements this view of her being a villian by stealing Desdemonas handkerchief, she then confirms it a second time by not telling Desdemona that she stole the handkerchief after she saw how upset it made her. The only time that Emelia seems like she is a Hero is in the last scene, she stands up to Othello and reports Desdemonas murder, although this can just been seen as guilt, of being the root of all these problems.

Desdemona and Emelia's relationship should have been one of mutual respect and trust, but Emelia betrays this trust and subsequently causes Desdemonas death. By stealing Desdemonas handkerchief, which she knew she loved very much, she could not have meant anything good out of it and therefore had not good intentions. A hero can not be a person who intentionally causes trauma to another person close to them, therefore in no way is Emelia a hero.