During the play, Othello’s character keeps disintegrating due to his growing jealousy. In another-wise noble character, the dominant forces of naiveté and over-trust became the premise of the tragic flaws that Aristotle points out. Thus in light of Othello, the Moor of Venice can regard as the classic tragic hero of all times. His inner soul is pure but there are errors in judgment made by his subconscious nature that lead to his tragic downfall. According to him, the tragic hero must fall due to an error in judgment in every type of tragedy. Aristotle explained the concept of a “tragic hero” in Poetics. It has been shown and portrayed in various plays from Oedipus Rex to Hamlet to Romeo and Juliet. Tragedy has been a conspicuous part of classical literature throughout history. The concept was first defined by Aristotle in 250 B.C in the following words: “Tragedy is the imitation of an action and an action implies personal agents, who necessarily possess certain distinctive qualities both of character and thought for it is by these that we qualify actions themselves, and these- thought and character- are the two natural causes from which actions spring, and on actions, again all success or failure depends.” (Janko). The survey throws light on Othello’s development and disintegration as a tragic hero in this great play by William Shakespeare.Ī tragedy always results in the death of the protagonist. In Othello’s case, his tragic flaws were his blind faith and trust in Iago.
By all accounts, this gratifies him as a tragic hero with tragic flaws. His vulnerabilities pave way for him to react ferociously leading him to kill his beloved only to realize towards the end that “he loved too much but not too well”. He is shaken to know that he has been betrayed and has been wronged. Othello is shown to be madly in love with Desdemona in the love. Iago exploited his trust and maneuvered circumstances that ultimately paved his downfall. To his irony, he ended up overtrusting Iago, his confidante. His character had flaws of vulnerability and over-trusting. He never had any ill motives towards anyone. In other works, Aristotle locates the essence of the self in perception by sharing perception or perceiving the same things, the spectators develop a sort of common identity.What makes Othello a tragic hero are his intentions which were always righteous. Metaphorical catharsis from watching tragedy gave the spectators a shared experience that bound them closer together. By watching the tragedy and feeling the strong emotions of fear and pity on behalf of the characters on stage, the spectator experiences a kind of cleansing of the soul. Catharsis helps purging of excessive emotions from a person. There is no option but to weep over the loss. The audience is filled with catharsis when Othello, a splendid lover and a remarkable general, has come to know the truth only after his wife has been slayed by himself. Othello by Shakespeare | Important Questions and Answers.
#Othello as a tragic hero free#
It was his free will, though he does so in oblivion of the true state of things. It might have been his fate to slay his wife but it was brought about by his own actions and thoughts. But that error is big enough to decipher his entire career and bring his downfall. She is, indeed, Othello’s fair warrior, and he is happiest when he has her by his side in the midst of military conflict or business. Iago planned to avenge his jealousy at Othello by misleading him however, it is an error of judgment on the part of Othello. The hero suffers from some tragic error or hamartia which is primarily responsible for his downfall. The character is apt for the stature of a tragic hero as laid out by Aristotle.
In other words, Othello rises to good fortune merely to fall and provoke a feeling of pity and fear within us causing catharsis. Othello is liked by all but he is equally pitied for his deed of killing the most beloved Desdemona that left everything for the Moor, Othello. And when we are about to praise him for his good luck and fame, he finishes it all for once and all partly by his own blindness and jealousy and partly by the tricky cunningness of evil Iago. Othello is a true tragic character for he inspires us without any jeopardy and sensational deeds. Othello is a tragic hero because of his noble traits, his tragic flaws, and his tragic downfall. William Shakespeare has artfully crafted some of the most prominent tragic heroes of all time. Perhaps the rarest hero is the tragic one. It may also be the heroes that are seen in movies and books rescuing the princess from the dragon or leading their country in battle. It may be the everyday heroes that are seen rescuing a cat from a tree or helping an old lady cross the street. In life, heroes will arise when ever they are called for.
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