The beat of a different drummer

How is the character of Othello more "modern" and believable than Hamlet, King Lear, or Macbeth? If you'd prefer (and haven't read the above works), consider Othello's character in light of other older heroes/protagonists such as Odysseus, Gilgamesh, and King Arthur.  How does Othello depart from the stock associations and values of these more "typical" heroes?