Introduction “A hero deserves admiration due to his inherent goodness. If he succumbs to unmerited suffering‚ he becomes a tragic hero.”_1 In Aristotle’s own words‚ “a man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” This statement gives the gist of Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero. A hero must fall from grace and must be able to clearly comprehend the cause of his fall. The “fall” must take place due to an error in judgement that arises out of some flaw (hamartia)
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Othello: A Tragic Hero? Considered by some to be one of the finest tragedies ever written‚ Shakespeare’s Othello tells the story of one man’s fall from happiness to utter despair. This is achieved by Othello’s fatal flaws – his jealousy and pride. Othello’s own fatal flaws lead him to his demise not Iago’s manipulation. This view point is supported in Professor Crawford’s article “Othello as a Tragic Hero.” In his article‚ Crawford conveys the idea that the misfortunes that befall Othello are cause
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To what extent can Othello be considered a ‘tragic hero’? 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
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definition constructed by Aristotle in the 4th century B.C. must be used. Aristotle defined a tragedy as “an imitation of an action of high importance‚ complete and of some amplitude; in language enhanced by distinct and varying beauties; acted not narrated; by means of pity and fear effecting its purgation of these emotions” (Kennedy & Gioia‚ 2013). Shakespeare’s Othello‚ the Moor of Venice is set in Venice and Cyprus during the Renaissance. The play recounts the story of Othello‚ a Moorish general in
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truly a tragic hero. According to Aristotle‚ a tragic hero is a character of noble status and greatness. He is a man who is not entirely good or entirely evil‚ rather‚ he is a man who on the whole is good‚ but also contributes to his own destruction by some moral weaknesses‚ known as the fatal flaw. Aristotle further explains that the protagonist must be dominated by a ‘hamartia’ or tragic flaw which leads to his downfall. All tragedies have a hero with a flaw‚ and in the play Othello‚ the hero
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Shakespeare uses techniques‚ characters‚ language‚ structure and form to present Othello as tragic hero. He exposes his tragic flaw‚ which consequently leads to his downfall. Othello conforms to the Aristotelian principles of tragedy‚ of the noble protagonist who undergoes ceaseless manipulation and endures suffering‚ resulting in his ultimate downfall due to hamartia. All of these techniques combine to provide a different perception of the protagonist‚ as more of an atypical victim‚ exposed to
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Othello a Tragic Hero Othello is one of the most famous plays by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare develops the characters into fully realized human beings‚ with their own names‚ personalities‚ and ways of looking at the world. Othello is the protagonist of the play. He is a combination of greatness and weakness‚ in his own words "an honourable murderer". He is a general in the Venetian defense forces. Although he is a foreigner from Africa‚ he has been promoted this position by excellence
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Othello: The Tragic Hero In William Shakespeare’s Othello‚ Othello is the tragic hero. He is a character 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 villain‚ but is rather a consequence of a wide range of feelings‚ judgments and misjudgments‚ and attempts for personal justification
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In what ways does Shakespeare present Othello as a typical tragic hero? Professedly‚ Shakespeare appears to present Othello as tragic hero‚ exposing his tragic flaw‚ which consequently leads to his downfall‚ through his use of language‚ structure and form. It could be argued ‘Othello’ appears to conform to Aristotle’s principles of tragedy‚ of the noble protagonist who undergoes perpetia and endures suffering‚ resulting in his ultimate downfall due to harmatia‚ which he eventually realises‚ providing
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Through extensive critical study of William Shakespeare’s play Othello‚ taking into account the countless productions of the play over the years‚ which reaffirms its status as an enduring valued text‚ it becomes distinctly evident that part of its ability to continually engage readers is drawn from its treatment of themes universal to the human experience ‚ such as verisimilitude and jealousy. Society’s constant struggle with what is real and what is not in our modern world‚ coupled with our everlasting
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