Othello And Desdemona Character Analysis

A tragic hero is characterized in literature as a great and honourable person whose life takes a monumental downfall because of their fatal flaw. By Aristotle’s definition, a tragic hero is “a man who is neither a paragon of virtue and justice nor undergoes the change to misfortune through any real badness or wickedness but because of some mistake” (Aristotle, 38). In Shakespeare's play, both Othello and Desdemona fit well within these guidelines. Othello is a well-revered general who is called to defend Venice and Cyprus, and Desdemona is an honest and good-natured young woman. Both of them display the potential characteristics required of a tragic hero or heroine, with a tragic flaw that results in calamity.
Aristotle states in his Poetics
She is a warm-hearted woman who is bold at the same time, as she revolts against the traditional standards of her society when she secretly marries Othello. She bravely announces her love for Othello, claiming that her “heart’s subdued / Even to the very quality of my lord” (1.3.285 - 86). Desdemona is also a compassionate character, which is illustrated in the scene when she tries to mend the friendship between her husband and Cassio. Furthermore, her dialogue is never insulting in the play, as she does not adopt Iago’s vocabulary like Othello does even when the latter is excessively abusive to her. Here, it is Desdemona's impeccable purity that is her tragic flaw, as it prevents her from resolving the misunderstandings with Othello in a more practical way. For example, when she tries for their reconciliation, she innocently misuses romantic language to describe her platonic feelings for Cassio, augmenting her husband’s suspicions of her. When Emilia asserts that women will inevitably suffer inequities in marriage, Desdemona sternly advises her to “not to pick bad from bad, but by bad mend” (4.3.81). Desdemona's positive outlook on the world blinds her against Othello’s abusive behavior. She does not show signs of resistance against her husband’s accusations until the very end when he is about to kill her. Only then, she pleads with Othello for him to spare her. Desdemona is seen as a
People perceive Venice as a prosperous and civilized city, just as Othello perceives Desdemona as the epitome of femininity and beauty. On the other hand, Cyprus is seen as a potential threat to Italy, as it is a city governed by Muslim Turks. Despite being a Moor, Othello is recognized as a civilized person and part of the society of Venice, rather than a potential threat. What follows is an unlikely turn of events which is inevitably balanced out. In the end, catharsis is achieved when Othello commits suicide, as retribution to Desdemona’s unjust death. His inferiority complex is emphasized in his final speech preceding his death. In his speech, he recalls the time he condemned a Turk who assaulted a Venetian and opposed the Venetian government. Here, Othello discriminates against another alien, referring to him as a “malignant and turbaned Turk” (5.2.414), and a “circumcised dog” (5.2.416). Othello’s usage of derogatory terms towards Turks as people of lower class and inferior to Venetians, denotes his internalization of the racist sentiment in the