How is Othello a tragic hero in Shakespeare's Othello?

A tragic hero is of noble status and greatness. The tragic
hero possesses a human tendency to make error in judgment. The tragic hero has a tragic
flaw. Othello is noble and quite capable as a leader. He is chosen to lead in the
military effort against the Turkish invasion against Cyprus. Although he is of high
stature and greatness, he makes an error in his judgment against his wife,
Desdemona.

Othello is a tragic hero in that he allowed his
jealously to overcome him. It is one thing to be jealous, but Othello acted on his
jealousy and murdered his wife, Desdemona. Because Iago planted seeds of jealousy,
Othello was taken into a snare. Othello should have trusted his wife. He trusted the
wrong man and his life ended in tragedy.

Although Iago
planted seeds of jealousy, Othello lacked self control. He could not control his rage.
This was a tragic flaw. He allowed his jealousy to consume him. He was totally
overwhelmed with jealousy. Rather than trusting his beloved wife, he smothered her out
of jealousy. In the end, he takes his own life out of utter
hopelessness.

These characteristics fit
Othello:

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The following is a summary of
[Aristotle's] basic ideas regarding the tragic
hero:

1.  The tragic hero is a
character of noble stature and has greatness.  This should be readily evident in the
play.  The character must occupy a "high" status position but must ALSO embody nobility
and virtue as part of his/her innate
character.

2.  Though the
tragic hero is pre-eminently great, he/she is not perfect.  Otherwise, the rest of
us--mere mortals--would be unable to identify with the tragic hero.  We should see in
him or her someone who is essentially like us, although perhaps elevated to a higher
position in society.

3.  The
hero's downfall, therefore, is partially her/his own fault, the result of free choice,
not of accident or villainy or some overriding, malignant fate.  In fact, the tragedy is
usually triggered by some error of judgment or some character flaw that contributes to
the hero's lack of perfection noted above.   This error of judgment or character flaw is
known as hamartia and is usually translated as "tragic flaw"
(although some scholars argue that this is a mistranslation).  Often the
character's hamartiainvolves hubris (which is
defined as a sort of arrogant pride or
over-confidence).

4.  The
hero's misfortunate is not wholly deserved. The punishment exceeds the
crime.

5.  The fall is not
pure loss. There is some increase in awareness, some gain in self-knowledge, some
discovery on the part of the tragic
hero..

6.  Though it arouses
solemn emotion, tragedy does not leave its audience in a state of depression.  Aristotle
argues that one function of tragedy is to arouse the "unhealthy" emotions of pity and
fear and through a catharsis (which comes from watching the tragic
hero's terrible fate) cleanse us of those emotions.   It might be worth noting here that
Greek drama was not considered "entertainment," pure and simple; it had a communal
function--to contribute to the good health of the community.  This is why dramatic
performances were a part of religious festivals and community
celebrations.