In the tragedy Othello, Shakespeare created a theme that was not only based on jealousy but hatred as well. The symbol of the story was the handkerchief which added intensity to the story between the characters Othello and his wife Desdemona. Racism, love, and manipulation also played a major part in the story as revenge between the two characters Othello and Iago had arose. The character that I chose to write about was Iago; in the story he was deceitful, selfish, manipulative, jealous, but also very clever. He had the tendency to trick anyone to believe what he was saying was the truth. Based upon the comparison of Iago and George Zimmerman we can see that Othello is still relevant today.
A tragedy has various definitions, but the Merriam-Webster version defines it as: “a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror.” The last part, about disastrous conclusion is relevant for Shakespeare’s tragedies, and Othello is no exception.
In William Shakespeare’s drama “Othello, the Moor of Venice”, Aristotle’s “tragic hero” observation shows that a classic tragedy is being made. Aristotle is not identifying exact laws for tragedy, merely providing a description of them based on his knowledge from the many dramas that he saw or read.
According to Aristotle’s version of the tragedy, something terrible happens to a powerful protagonist, or in this case Othello, who is destined for a hostile downfall, immense suffering, and ultimate defeat due to his own flaws. According to Aristotle, Othello’s flaws are brought on by selfish pride and a driven ego. For example, because of his position as a General, who was strong, brave and highly respected among his peers, Othello believed he was a great man despite being a North African Moor.
Shakespeare’s drama Othello is set in Venice and Cyprus during the Renaissance Era. In the Renaissance Era, wealth and prosperity distinctly separated the people in Venice. After being summoned by the Duke, Othello led the Venetian Army to Cyprus for war.
The very essence of war is tragic in its nature. The lead character, Othello, is a Moor from North Africa. He is the general of the Venetian Army. He secretly married the beautiful Desdemona, a princess from a distinguished Venetian royal family. Iago, who hates Othello after being passed up for promotion, was Othello’s friend and confidant. He set about a massive revenge plot to convince Othello that his wife was cheating on him. In the process Iago uses his own wife Emilia, Rodrigo and Othello’s own flaws to bring him down. In the climax, Othello kills his innocent wife Desdemona in a fit of jealous rage.
Iago is eventually caught, but sadly, Desdemona was already killed by Othello. Grief stricken and laden with guilt, Othello takes his own life. The William Shakespeare’s play “Othello, the Moor of Venice”. Reveals the author’s perception of a tragic hero. By the end of the play Aristotle’s point of view reveals that every protagonist hero has some type of moral Achilles’s heel
istotle’s concept of tragedy is based on a sum total of a few essential fundamentals that are a complex plot with a suitable
beginning middle and the end, organic unity, appropriate length, the unities of time and place, apt relationship between
the character and plot, goodness, consistency of characterization, hamartia, peripity, anagnorisis or discovery, feelings of
pity and fear and catharsis.1 Based on the parameters as established by Aristotle for a worthy tragedy, William
Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice is an ideal Aristotelian tragedy. Othello is a specific tragedy of passion and to
label it as an Aristotelian tragedy is certainly appropriate. Of all Shakespeare’s tragedies, Othello is the most painfully
exciting and the most terrible. As one goes through it, one experiences the extremes of the feelings of pity, fear,
sympathy, disgust, sickening hope and dreadful expectation.
Othello, the Moor of Venice, could and should essentially be classified as a typical Aristotelian tragedy and Othello is
the most worthy tragic hero of Shakespeare who satisfies almost all the credentials of a tragic hero as evinced by
Aristotle. As one goes through the play Othello, one experiences the extremes of the feelings of pity, fear, sympathy,
disgust, sickening hope and a dreadful expectation.2 Evil is displaced before the reader in such a way that one simply
watches its progress in an awed and fascinated manner. A lot of factors contribute to the exciting and painful impact of
this play as the conflict in Othello’s mind, the ensuing sexual jealousy, Desdemona’s humiliation and murder, the
accompanying intrigue and so much.3 Besides, the role played by ‘accident’ in Othello produces not only a strong sense
of the working of fate, but makes the play more terrible. In Othello, so many things happen by chance to aid Iago’s plot
that one feels that his victims are also the victims of fate. Then there is the little comic relief in the guise of Iago’s
Aristotle’s concept of tragedy is based on a sum total of a few essential fundamentals that are a complex plot with a
suitable beginning middle and the end, organic unity, appropriate length, the unities of time and place, apt relationship
between the character and plot, goodness, consistency of characterization, hamartia, peripity, anagnorisis or discovery,
feelings of pity and fear and catharsis.1 Based on the parameters as established by Aristotle for a worthy tragedy,
William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice is an ideal Aristotelian tragedy. Othello is a specific tragedy of
passion and to label it as an Aristotelian tragedy is certainly appropriate. Of all Shakespeare’s tragedies, Othello is the
most painfully exciting and the most terrible. As one goes through it, one experiences the extremes of the feelings of
pity, fear, sympathy, disgust, sickening hope and dreadful expectation. Outline I. Introduction A. Cursory analysis of
Othello B. Aristotle parameters for a tragedy and a “tragic hero” II. Body A. Tragedy and plot B. Attributes of a “tragic
hero” as per Aristotle B. Catharsis and tragedy III. Conclusion A. Othello, the Moor of Venice satisfies all attributes of a
tragedy enunciated by Aristotle Essay Introduction Othello, the Moor of Venice, could and should essentially be
classified as a typical Aristotelian tragedy and Othello is the most worthy tragic hero of Shakespeare who satisfies almost
all the credentials of a tragic hero as evinced by Aristotle. As one goes through the play Othello, one experiences the
extremes of the feelings of pity, fear, sympathy, disgust, sickening hope and a dreadful expectation.2 Evil is displaced
before the reader in such a way that one simply watches its progress in an awed and fascinated manner. A lot of factors
contribute to the exciting and painful impact of this play as the conflict in Othello’s mind, the ensuing sexual jealousy,
Desdemona’s humiliation and murder, the accompanying intrigue and so much.3 Besides, the role played by ‘accident’
in Othello produces not only a strong sense of the working of fate, but makes the play more terrible. In Othello, so many
things happen by chance to aid Iago’s plot that one feels that his victims are also the victims of fate. Then there is the
little comic relief in the guise of Iago’s humor, which is most of the times grim rather than amusing. In the context of the
tragedy and a tragic hero, Aristotle in his work Poetics elucidated on some specific requirements as to the nature and
form of plot and the qualities of a tragic hero. It will be really interesting to gauge Othello, the Moore of Venice, on the
parameters set by Aristotle as to establish that it is a worthy tragedy with a suitable tragic hero. Plot In the context of a
tragedy, Aristotle stresses the primacy of plot.4 He begins his ranking of the six parts of the tragedy with the assertion
that “The most important of these parts is the arrangement of incidents, for tragedy is not an imitation of a man, per se,
but of human action and life and happiness and misery.”5 Aristotle further reinforces the need for the right plot by
declaring the human life to be a process. Aristotle holds that the human life is constantly changing and the changes that a man experiences tend towards happiness or unhappiness. Thus a tragedy is not possible
