...Othello: Tragic Hero? Michael Charles Robinson ENGL 102 October 17, 2011 Ms. Charity Givens Othello: Tragic Hero? I. Introduction Thesis statement A. Thesis Statement II. Brief overview of Othello III. Aristotle and Othello A. Peripeteia B. Hamartia C. Anagnorsis D. Catharsis IV. Othello a tragic hero? A. Evidence supporting B. Not supporting V. Brief overview of “O” A. Comparison to original VI. Conclusion THESIS STATEMENT: Othello is a tragic hero because he mostly satisfies Aristotle’s four requirements for a tragic hero: peripeteia, hamartia, anagnorsis, and catharsis. Othello: Tragic Hero? The tragic play Othello, written by William Shakespeare has caused constant dispute on whether the main character Othello can be considered as a tragic hero or not. Othello is a tragic hero because he mostly satisfies Aristotle’s four requirements for a tragic hero: peripeteia, hamartia, anagnorsis, and catharsis. The exploration of different aspects of the Othello character will give the readers of this essay insight regarding whether Othello is a...
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...Othello: An Aristotelian Tragic Hero or Not? Thesis Statement Othello: An Aristotelian Tragic Hero or Not? By reviewing the definition of tragedy and tragic play, we could agree that the play Othello fits the mold of a tragic play. The question that remains unanswered is does Othello fit the definition of a tragic hero? Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, developed the definition of the Aristotelian tragedy/ tragic hero. The play Othello does not fit all of the criteria to be considered an Aristotelian tragedy; however it is more of a tragic play. Outline 1. Overview of tragedy and tragic play Provide overview of Othello 2. Is Othello a tragic hero? 3. Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero Person of high estate, royalty 4. Aristotle’s second criteria Protagonist must fall from power 5. Weakness of character 6. Misfortune is not warranted 7. Tragic hero learns of his misstates before his downfall While researching the definition of the word “tragedy,” I learned that it is a very heartbreaking or catastrophic event. To further my research, I looked up the definition of a tragic play, and learned that it is a serious play with a tragic theme that often involves a heroic struggle which leads to the downfall of the main character. William Shakespeare’s play, Othello certainly fits the definition of a tragic play. The protagonist in the play, Othello, is a high ranked general in the Venetian army who is held in very high esteem...
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...Othello the Shakespearean Tragic Hero The Tragedy of Othello is considered to be William Shakespeare’s most popular tragic plays but there are distinct differences in Shakespeare’s tragic heroes, and other tragic heroes. A Tragic hero is usually a character that makes a mistake that leads to his failure, but a Shakespearean tragic hero is initially one, who is born noble, but not necessarily virtuous; there are some great aspects of personality that he has in excess which would often also be his weakness which creates a conflict for the character. His own destruction brings out the principle or moral of the play. Scholars argues that Othello is not a hero but a murder that commits a crime of passion, but just as every Shakespearean tragic characters, Othello is a person that has made an error of judgment, had a fatal flaw and was destined for defeat; which when combined with external forces, will bring on a tragedies like Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and Macbeth. Like many other characters in Shakespearean tragic plays, Othello is not a weak character nor is he a person of failure, but he is the captain of the Venice army, he is married to one of the most beautiful woman of Venice named Desdemona, and he is very well known even though he was of a different ethnicity. When Brabantio accuses him of putting a spell on his daughter Desdemona; in front of the Venetian senate, no one believes the charges because of his outstanding reputation "Here comes Brabantio and the valiant Moor...
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...Montel Branch English 4 Argumentative essay What makes someone a tragic hero? A tragic hero is someone who makes judgement error that inevitably lead to their own destruction. A hero’s downfall comes from specific traits that cause their destruction. Between the two major characters Antigone and Othello, Othello exemplifies a tragic hero the most from the following reasons error of judgment, reversal of fortune and recognition of change in fate. The tragic hero trait that Othello displays is recognition of reversal was brought by his own actions. The general of the Venetian army, Othello married to wife Desdemona was friends with a trustable man named Iago. Othello made the decision to make Cassio his lieutenant instead of Iago....
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...When ever watching superhero movie It always seems that the main character is always a tragic hero.A tragic hero is someone who has high status a tragic flaw and a downfall. As with superman everything seems to go well for him but because of kryptonite (supermans weakness) things seem to go down hill. In the book othello the main character, othello, is the perfect example of a tragic hero he has a very high status and well respected man. Othello was the general of the army and iago stated that othello is the best for cyprus and no one could take his place.”Another of his fathom they have none to lead their business.” Another example of othello having a high status is that he also married the senator's daughter. He married a high status woman...
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...Drama Essay “Othello, the Moor of Venice” Jami Bruno Liberty University In the drama “Othello, the Moor of Venice”, written by Shakespeare around 1604, we find Othello in a downfall that was fed by a villain named Iago. Othello soon becomes the tragic hero of this story. Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is “someone who is a noble soul, from high estates, and has a downfall in the result of his hamartia or tragic flaw” (Kennedy, & Gioia, 2007). Othello is easily persuaded with bad advice, that his wife is being unfaithful and is in love with another man. Othello being insecure, is crushed when he is fooled into believing that his wife Desdemona has been unfaithful. With anger and jealousy in his heart he finds himself causing a downfall in the result of his own tragic flaw. Desdemona continues to stay faithful to her husband even as her husband accuses her of being in love with another man. She is a sweet, kind and intelligent woman who is truly devoted to loving Othello. Heartbroken to find her husband has turned against her and plans to kill her, she tries to defend herself with the truth. She is unable to dismiss the lies told to her husband by the villainous Iago. Iago’s hate for the Moor stems from several different directions. He plays the main reason Othello has a tragic flaw. Fueled by his own jealousy, Iago has started a rumor about Othello’s wife and Cassio, Othello’s honorable lieutenant. Emilia is the wife of Iago and Desdemona’s maid. She is submissive...
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...Tragic heroes are characters who have flaws that lead to their downfall. These two things make up tragic heroes but the discovery is the last final factor. The discovery is when the character becomes aware of how their flaw led to their downfall. Both Chinua Achebe and William Shakespeare wrote about tragic heroes. In Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Shakespeare’s Othello both Okonkwo and Othello are tragic heroes; however, Othello better exhibits the qualities of a tragic hero. Because they are both tragic heroes, they have a flaw. In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is seen to be aggressive and prideful. His aggressiveness drives away his family for, some of his family converted to Christianity due to his flaw. His pride makes him kill Ikemefuna;...
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...burden of present reality. Williams Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tale of a man who eventually falls from society because of a tragic flaw that exists within the Moors’ innate nature. The main character Othello is often viewed as a tragic hero and is often compared to Aristotle’s concept of what a tragic...
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...particular reference to Act one, scene III, discuss how Othello’s tragic and heroic status are established in the first act of the play.’ To be a tragic hero, a character must be someone who is initially well respected and someone who holds a high esteem within society. They must have high moral worth and tend to be highly ambitious, it is a single mistake or character flaw which brings them to ruin and they lose all that they possess. The character must always contribute to their own disaster, however, they must also fully realise the extent of their own contribution to the disaster. In ‘Othello’, there are many examples of his heroic status, for instance, the many compliments he receives from various characters show that he himself is an admirable character and shows his great personality not only as a person, but as an officer too, and shows that he is possible of heroic status. Othello tells us that Brabantio; ‘…loved [Othello], oft invited [him], Still questioned [him] the story of [his] life From year to year – the battles, sieges, fortunes That [he had] passed.’ This shows that even someone who now dislikes Othello due to Othello’s affair with his daughter, in the past, respected Othello greatly. The Duke also tells Brabantio that ‘[Brabantio’s] son-in-law...
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...January 2015 Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero “William Shakespeare’s “Othello” the Moore of Venice Tragedies frequently focus on a tragic hero that has a flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall. According to Aristotle, the tragic flaw is the most important part of the hero and the events that occur in the work is a reflection of that flaw. A tragic flaw is essential in a true tragedy. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is a prime example of an Aristotelian tragic hero. His gullibility and jealousy are the main reason of his downfall. Othello deals with love lost because of gullibility and jealousy. According to Aristotle, the life and soul of tragedy is the plot; Incidents in the plot have the best effect if they occur unexpectedly, and in consequence of one another. A great tragedy grips the audience with the plot; Aristotle also states that the sense of the inevitable must be present in tragedy. The central character must be noble and have a higher stature than most men. The tragic hero must also have better qualities than secondary characters but must also exhibit flaws. Another part of the central character is that he is destroyed by himself, not by others, bad luck, or depravity. These are the criteria necessary to be classified as an ideal tragedy. The main character of Othello is an example of a tragic hero, his basic elements matches him up to a true hero as defined by Aristotle. Othello was a soldier all his life, due to his Moorish...
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...after going for the win and losing is similar to what Oedipus from Sophocles’s Oedipus the King and Othello from Shakespeare’s Othello the Moor must think after they have lost everything they once had even though they didn’t have to. Oedipus the King, born royal, runs away from his prophecy to Thebes, his new land, where he completes what the prophecy had in mind. Othello the Moor, a general, questions his wife, Desdemona, after an evil man manipulates his mind. Though both authors use irony and a tragic hero to move their audiences, Sophocles uses those elements to stress the role of fate, while Shakespeare uses them to demonstrate the importance of personal choice. Both Oedipus and Othello are tragic heroes, and the downfall of each moves the audience. Both heroes are blinded by their emotions. Oedipus was blind to his prophecy that he never realized that he actually married his mother and killed his father. He thought that he could run away from it, and got mad at anyone who suggested that he already reached the destination. For example, when Teiresias tells Oedipus that he is the cause of Thebe’s plague, Oedipus says to him, “Your infantile riddles! Your damned abracadabra!” (Sophocles 24). He is basically getting angry because he believes that Teiresias is threatening his power. Similarly, Othello is blinded by his trust in Iago that he falls for all of his tricks. Othello becomes envious and Iago uses this to his advantage. All of Iago’s tricks eventually lead to Othello’s...
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...often associated with virtue, courage and valour. Within Othello, Shakespeare questions the meaning behind heroism and admirability in the context of a Venetian society, in which the play is set. Through the tragic descent of Othello’s composure and his actions, the audience is left to wonder whether or not his virtue and presentation as an admirable general and hero, actually exists. Act 1 of the play presents Othello's decisions and behaviour as the epitome of virtue and valour, showing him as a high statured character - the definition of a tragic hero in Aristotelian methods, as it demands a character of greatness to suffer the greatest downfall. Although not necessarily presented as high born, he is deemed to be virtuous through his military prowess and well articulated speech; this however may be argued by the drastic change of fate within act 3 where Othello’s so called ‘valiant’ image is challenged by Iago’s ‘pestilence’ whispered with his own mind which can be seen through his brash actions and broken language, additionally it can be argued that Othello can be deemed dishonourable in his own actions in the first act of the play by his unblessed marriage to Desdemona; therefore the overall presentation and view over Othello is left to debate. Through Shakespeare’s use of dramatic methods, we as the audience are thrown straight into the action of scene 1,in the form of in media res; it is Iago that announces Othello to the audience as a ‘black ram’ and a ‘devil’, casting...
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...Compare and Contrast Willy Loman and Othello If there was a completely perfect, virtuous hero with no flaws, there would be no sense of enjoyment at watching horrible events afflicts this perfect person? Conversely, if the individual had too many flaws, vices, and moral depravity, it would not be a tragedy; it would simply have been seen as his getting what was coming to him, karma, if you will. Although Othello and Willie Loman can be said to fall within the definition of a tragic hero, each represents a very different interpretation of the concept. Othello, the tragic hero of Shakespeare’s play by that name, is an even more sympathetic character. Othello’s tragedy is orchestrated entirely by the scheming, malevolent Iago. Iago, having very little motive, creates a web of deceit by convincing Othello that his new bride, Desdemona, is unfaithful. “Receive it from me. I speak not yet of proof. Look at your wife; observe her well with Cassio, Wear your eyes thus, not jealous nor secure” (Act III, Scene III, Lines 196-198, Othello). Othello’s jealously eventually causes him to murder Desdemona by smothering her. One could argue that Othello isn’t truly a tragic hero. After all, what fatal flaw does Othello have? Aren’t all of his actions simply the result of the malicious intent of another? This cannot be true, for, if so, Othello would not be the classic it is today. An audience does not want to watch a totally innocent person randomly punished. Rather, an audience...
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...Othello as a Tragic Hero William Shakespeare's famous tragedy Othello, the Moor of is arguably one of the finest, if not the finest, tragedies in the literary history of Western civilization. This paper discusses Othello as a tragic hero and compares him to Aristotle's concept of what a tragic hero actually is. First, we need to understand the characteristics of a so-called tragic hero as defined by the Greek critic, Aristotle. He indicates that a tragic hero must have these characteristics: (1) Be a nobleman, prince, or person of high estate; (2) Have a tragic flaw, and a weakness in judgment; and (3) Fall from high to low estate. Using Aristotle’s criteria, we can easily classify Othello, the Moor, as a tragic hero. At the time, it was common practice for the Italian city-states to have a foreigner, with proven military capabilities, serving as the head of their Army. Othello, an African Moor of noble birth, is just such a character and held the highest ranking military position as Governor-General of Cyprus. The city of Cyprus was a city-state in the great state of Venice. His title alone, Governor-General, exudes an air of nobility, confidence, and strength. It defines someone who is held in tremendously high esteem by the people of Venice. During Act 1, Scene 3, the Duke and a few Senators are discussing issues around a table when Othello enters the room. It's clear that Othello is held in high esteem when, as he enters, one of the senators states “Here comes Barbantio...
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...Tragedy in Othello The play Othello written by William Shakespeare in classical terms is considered a tragedy because of its tragic elements which Iago is the main tragic element. He is an antagonist and involute character that plans to ruin Othello and the downfall of a great hero due his tragic imperfection. The play has plenty of deaths that happen through the story. In the play Othello, Desdemona, Othello, Roderigo and Emilia have horrible and tragic endings. Iago who is the person who is the cause of this tragedy committed all this for revenge on Othello. In Act V scene II Lodovico expresses this to Iago “ O Spartan dog, more fell than anguish, hunger, or the sea, look on the tragic loading of this bed. This is thy work. The object poisons sight, let it be hid..” (V .ii.330-334) Lodovico feels and anger and is disgusted towards Iago for being a manipulator and causing all the deaths....
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