Today Feels Like a Black-Flag Day (p. 1119, Question 2)

Shakespeare's Othello is most definitely a tragedy. Othello's tragic flaw is his gullibility and excessive trust in Iago. This unfortunate misplacement of trust and confidence ultimately leads to his death. As with all Shakespearean tragedies, Othello dies as a result of his own doing.

This classification of Othello as a tragedy immediately tips off the audience concerning the play's darker tone, often more complex style of storytelling, and basic set of themes involving mankind's vices and their consequences. The audience knows from the beginning what to look for while viewing the action: the flaws of the main character, their gradual succumbing to those flaws, and the characters whom cause these flaws to grow within the hero. In Shakespeare's time at the Globe Theatre, a flag of a certain color was hung each day to indicate whether the play being performed that day would be a tragedy (black flag), a comedy (white), or a history (red). Because of this, the audience would always know what to look for. This allowed them to become more involved with the play's plot, as they are able to discern more easily the vital facets of the story.