An interesting question. All of these tragic heroes have a
pathological tragic flaw that hinges on madness. In Othello, it is jealousy and Iago
takes advantage of this to bring about Othello's downfall. Iago himself, however, is
envious to the point of being pathological about it and this eventually leads to his
downfall. In Macbeth, it is ambition, and his ambition destroys him when it becomes an
obsession. This ambition leads to murder and guilt, and these things drive Lady Macbeth
literally insane. Hamlet is morbidly depressed and because of this, he is cruel to
Ophelia, and this drives her mad. King Lear becomes mad due to a combination of events
that begin with his pride in insisting that his three daughters vie over expressing
their love to him. He is betrayed by two of his daughters and this, along with other
betrayals, drives him mad.
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