Custom Written Term Papers: Othello Is a Tragedy of Fortune

Shakespeare's play, “Othello, the Moor of Venice,” is a powerful example of a tragedy and it’s main character, Othello, is an excellent illustration of what Aristotle constitutes as a tragic hero. The play imitates life through basic human emotions such as jealousy and rage. In addition, Othello is far from being a perfect character - another quality that meets Aristotle's requirements. Othello also matches Aristotle's ideas of tragic hero because our Othello realizes the error of his ways, causing us to feel sympathy for him. If we carefully examine the third scene in the third act, we can see how Othello fits into Aristotle's definition of tragic hero. This passage reveals how much Othello has deteriorated as far as his ability to reason

Othello, a play that was written in 1604 by William Shakespeare, is an example of a type of story called a “tragedy.” Throughout the course of the work, Othello proves himself to be very easily misled, despite his heroic status. This causes him to lose his ability to make good judgments and decisions. Even though Othello had a reputation as a hero, he ends up being one of the most gullible characters in the play when he completely falls into the evil trap that Iago set for him. As the story unfolds Othello’s character evolves in an extremely tragic way as Iago manipulates him and leaves him to rot in his misery. Eventually, this leads to Othello’s suicide.

In Othello, the plot meets the definition of both Aristotle and Shakespeare on a tragedy. Aristotle believed that the plot is the most important element in a play and that plot also clearly points out the problem of any characters to be solved. However, the protagonist of the tragedy play only partially meets the definition of Aristotle’s tragic hero. The play is set in Venice and Cyprus where a Moor, Othello, General of the Venetian army gets secretly married to a Venetian nobleman’s daughter, Desdemona. During the play Iago manipulates Othello because Lieutenant Cassio was promoted ahead of him, and also because he suspects that Othello has had an affair with his wife. “And it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets He’s done my office. I know not if’t be true; But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety” (2.1. 364-367).

Alongside this chain of events triggered by the avarice of Iago is another chain of events springing from innocence and morality. They center around the characters of Desdemona and Othello: She leaves her selfish father to share her love with the ideal man. He calmly rebuts the accusations, some prejudicial in nature, against his conduct toward Desdemona. She defends the Moor’s moral integrity and her own in front of the council; he does likewise. She unselfishly agrees to live with another family while her husband is busied in the war with the Turks; he concurs in this sacrifice. While waiting with Emilia and Iago at Cyprus, she heroically calls the ancient a “slanderer” and comes to the aid of his wife, who has been repeatedly downtrodden and hit upon by Iago. When the general’s ship arrives safely into the Cyprus port, he immediately greets his wife before anyone else, “O my fair warrior!” and “O my soul's joy!” When Governor Montano asks Cassio if the Moor is wived he responds with: “Most fortunately: he hath achieved a maid

"Othello is essentially an noble character, flawed by insecurity and a nature that is naive and unsophisticated". Looking at William Shakespeare's Othello The Moor Of Venice, the central character, Othello is revered as the tragic hero. He is a character of high stature that is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. His destruction is essentially precipitated by his own actions, as well as by the actions of the characters surrounding him. The tragedy of Othello is not a fault of a single villain, but is rather a consequence of a wide range of feelings, judgments and misjudgments, and attempts for personal justification exhibited by all of the participants. Othello is first shown as a hero of war and a man of

The extent of which Othello is a tragic hero has been open to much debate; the basis on which he is judged falls to Aristotle’s established view of the crucial elements that distinguish whether a person is truly tragic. According to Aristotle, a tragic protagonist is a nobleman or person from high status, who contributes to his own demise and illustrates a flaw or weakness in judgment. The tragic protagonist must make a fall from a high state of being to a low state or death. The tragic hero’s downfall, said Aristotle, was brought upon by some error of judgement. Aristotle’s theory is not the final word on tragedy, however it can support in pinpointing the pivotal traits in

There is no denying that Shakespeare is a definitive playwright. He has presented us with classic works that have set the precedent for drama and the theatre. Among Shakespeare’s more notable plays are his tragedies. In the tragedy his protagonists are often given flaws in their character and hence, are suitably named tragic heroes. The downfall of these protagonists is often a result of their own character flaws and unfortunately, they suffer a doomed and unhappy ending. While the tragic hero is flawed they must also be honorable and worthy of the audience’s understanding and sympathy. On a quest for righteousness the tragic hero often goes through immense suffering which is why the audience can feel bad for him. For the most

Unlike the other Shakespeare tragedies, which follow the common ideas for Shakespearean tragedy, ‘Othello’ includes some of the ideas from classical tragedies. Some of these include the downfall from high position – Othello goes from being the general, to being convicted of being a murderer. Innocent characters also suffer, like Desdemona. Othello accused her of being unfaithful, when she never was. He ends up killing her out of jealousy; when she does not deserve it.

Desdemonna, of fair complexion, is a Venetian of privileged background, has good breeding and is virtuous. Cassio is a gentleman of noble birth. He comes from Florence, a city known for its high culture. He is educated and trained in the warfare and has fine manners with ladies. Roderigo and Iago are Spanish in origin. Roderigo is also a gentleman, of noble birth and from Venice. Iago does not appear to be of noble birth and is not affluent. He is Othello's ensign. Iago, although

In Shakespeare?s play Othello, Othello himself is the tragic hero. He is an individual of high stature who is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. His destruction is essentially precipitated by his own actions, as well as by the actions of the characters surrounding him. The tragedy of Othello is not a fault of a single person, but is rather the consequence of a wide range of feelings, judgments, misjudgments, and attempts for personal justification revealed by the characters.

Aristotle’s second requirement for a tragedy is that the tragic hero must have a reversal of fortune. In the beginning of the play, Othello is seen as content with his new bride: “For know, Iago, But that I love the gentle Desdemona” (1.2.24-25). As the play progresses, and Iago’s plan culminates, Othello’s good fortune begins to turn. After Othello returns from war at sea with the Turks, his fortune begins a downward spiral. Shakespeare often focuses his plays on human nature as well as fate, which Othello’s fate ended in the tragic ending due to his reversal of fortune once the claims against Desdemona begin. After Othello learns of a possible affair between Cassio and Desdemona, at this instance is the turning point in Othello’s fortune because it changes his views, attitudes and ultimately his fate. “In

1. Thesis Statement: William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy and Othello is considered a tragic hero by the definition of Aristotle's work in "Poetics". Othello’s fatal flaw leads to his uncontrollable jealousy. His high-ranking position and stature in the royal family leaves him feeling suspicious and betrayed and seeks the ultimate revenge.

By using these guidelines, Shakespeare created one of his greatest Aristotelian tragedies. This is because he applied the Poetics’ guidelines to complex plot, the tragic hero, and the establishment of pity, fear, and catharsis of the audience’s emotions. The complex plot follows Othello and his transformation from nobleman to monster through the exploitation of his tragic flaw. As the plot moves from exposition, complication, challenge, conflict, climax, and finally to dénouement, Othello goes through a recognition scene which leads to a reversal in his fortune and his scene of suffering.

His willingness to speak of what he has done – in contrast to Iago’s sullen silence – is a willingness to recognize the meaning of Desdemona’s faith and chastity, to acknowledge that innocence and love do exist, and that therefore The City can stand, though his life is required to

Shakespeare explores more than just excessive, impetuous love in portraying the Moor. Othello has been prepared for his role as a jealous, murderous husband from the beginning of the play because his love for Desdemona is suspicious. Othello immediately discloses that the love he and Desdemona share derives from his stories of war, which are strong and heroic: "She loved me for the dangers I had passed/and I loved her that she did pity them." (1.3.168-169). He explains to Iago, "But that I love the gentle Desdemona/I would not my unhoused free condition/put into circumscription and confine/for the sea's worth." (1.2.25-28). Othello tells Iago that sea treasures could not make Othello surrender his love for war and nothing could make him surrender his love for Desdemona. This shows that the power Othello derives from war describes the powerful quality of his love. It seems doubtful that the love Othello has for violent "feats of broil and battle" can be used to describe his love for Desdemona who is "of spirit so still and quiet that her motion/ blushed at herself," without compromising the safety of love (1.3.131, 1.3.96-97). In fact, when he returns from suppressing the Cyprus revolt, he calls out to Desdemona, "My fair warrior!" (2.1.180). Although Desdemona has fallen in love with Othello by listening to his "travailous history", stating that she is a "fair warrior" does not seem to be the next logical step in