The Most Tragic Othello
William Shakespeare has written many plays. His most tragic play is Othello.
Othello is also the name of the main character in the play, he is quite hard to
understand. In order to have a better understanding of Othello's character,
examining his changes throughout the play, flaws and why he is considered a
tragic hero will give the reader an insight of his overall personality.
Othello changes many times throughout the course of the play. At the
beginning of the play Othello trusts Desdemona with everything, but throughout
the play he loses confident in her because he listens to Iago's suggestions
about her. "'Cassio, my lord? No, sure, I cannot think it That he would sneak
away so guilty like, Seeing you come.'" (Shakespeare 105). He shows disrespect
to Desdemona in front of other people. "'Devil' he strikes her 'I have not
deserved this.'" (141). Othello changes even more dramatically because of the
poison suggestions that Iago has given him. He goes out of control and
eventually kills Desdemona thinking that she has did something wrong.
Othello has many tragic flaws. He is a really gullible person, for
example he was tricked by Iago; thinking that Desdemona was really having an
affair with Cassio. " ` Did he confess it?'" (134). He trusts Iago too much
and totally relies on Iago therefore making him really vulnerable to Iago's
evilish schemes. Othello's gullibility causes him to be jealous. He let's his
jealousy take over, he looses control of himself and acts on his jealous
emotions, he let's his jealousy clutter his mind and good judgment. "`Damn her,
lewd minx! O, damn her, damn her! Come go with me part. I will withdraw To
furnish me with some swift means of death. For the fair devil. Now are the my
lieutenant'" (122). Othello's other flaw is his anger. Othello acts upon his
anger and therefore ends up doing the things he regrets afterwards. "`It is too
late.' `O Lord, O Lord, Lord!' he smothers her"(168). Therefore by examining
those points Othello has many tragic flaws in him.
Othello is considered a tragic hero because he fights for the people in
Venice in Cyprus. "'The Turk with a most mighty preparation makes for Cyprus.
When Malcolm x was known as Malcolm Little which was from his birth until during his time in prison went he converted to the Nation of Islam ( Malcolm X 154-172) he experienced traumatic events that laid the foundation in terms of how he came to view white people u...
April 13th, 1964 is the day Malcolm X left the United States on a personal and spiritual trip through West Africa, and the Middle East. During this time, he was able to visit Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, and Algeria. While in Egypt, Malcolm X made a pilgrimage to Mecca. In Mecca, Malcolm discovered a bona fide Islam of total respect and brotherhood, which changed his view on the world. Malcolm embraced true Islam and was able to abandon racial separatism for good. Initially, Malcolm believed whites to be evil, but all this beliefs were gone, because he was now a changed man. After accomplishing a pilgrimage to Mecca, Malcolm discovered an atoning power of Islam of unity and pea...
the scene, Iago makes it seem that he doesn't want to discredit Cassio, but his
...voice to the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the founder of the Nation of Islam, but less known is the evolution that took place in Malcolm X's life as he came to understand the truth of Islam as established over 1400 years ago by the Prophet Muhammad of Arabia, may peace and blessings be upon him. Malcolm completed the hajj, a transformative experience for him, and travelled to foreign countries which allowed him to see the troubles of humans who were being oppressed in other nations just as he had witnessed African Americans being oppressed in the U.S. Although his life was cut short before we could realize the fullness of the positive impact that his voice could have had upon society, the example that he set as a Muslim man, husband, father, intellectual, political activist, and humanitarian is something that inspirational through time and should be remembered.
Othello as Tragic Hero I would agree that it is helpful to an understanding of Othello's character to think of him as a tragic hero. On the surface, the opinion may be different because he kills his wife and commits suicide to end his anguish. However, if we look deeper the suffering that Othello has to go through, and the way that this powerful and heroic character is tricked and knocked off his high perch by Iago (a lower status member of the army) he can be seen as a tragic hero. All Shakespeare's tragic heroes seem to have certain qualities that put them in this category.
As for Malcolm himself, his few achievements perhaps could have been greater had his life not been but short by his assassination as well as his time in jail. The powerful message he gave set small precedents for future leaders. As long as the issue of civil rights is apparent, Malcolm will always be remembered for his devotion to the cause “by any means necessary”.
The Nation of Islam, which Malcolm X was an important member of, is not a religious organization as the name suggests but rather an organization whose goal was to make the lives of African Americans better instead of actually teaching the proper ethics of Islam. One of the main objectives of this organization was Black Nationalism, through which Black leaders can control the areas where there is a majority of African Americans. This cause was greatl...
There are many literary works that contain villains who play an essential role in the development of the work as a whole. However, I believe that the ultimate villain of this kind is Iago in Shakespeare’s play, Othello. Through manipulation and scheming, he beguiles the other characters of the novel.
Nick Potter states: “Othello is a tragedy of incomprehension, not at the level of intrigue but at the deepest level of human dealings. No one in Othello comes to understand himself or anyone else.” Within Shakespeare’s Othello, no character fully understands themselves of one another. This is especially true in human dealings, where the intentions of characters and how others interpret them are often misaligned. Conflict, and eventually, tragedy arises in Othello due to the incomprehension between characters, as well as within the characters themselves. From the reader’s perspective, it is tragic to understand the reality behind all the incomprehension, since the characters are oblivious to what the readers are aware of.
The Tragedy of Othello William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, from the sixteenth century is an excellent example of Renaissance humanism. “A poet of unparalleled genius, Shakespeare emerged during the golden age of England under the rule of Elizabeth I.”(Fiero 3:98) He produced comedies, tragedies, romances and histories. According to Webster’s pocket dictionary, a tragedy is defined as a form of drama in which the protagonist comes to a disaster, as through a flaw in character, and in which the ending is usually marked by pity or sorrow. I would like to concentrate on the character Iago and the theme of deceit.
The situation above leaves an opening for Iago to fulfill his vital plan to bring down Othello through Desdemona. Cassio was a mental wreck and told Iago that his reputation was ruined. Iago told him that he can get his rank back through Desdemona and get back on Othello's good side. "Confess yourself freely to her, importune her help to put you in your place again (p. 54)." Once Cassio talks to Desdemona, Iago will speak with Othello and get him to think of his wife's trust. In Act three Scene three Iago is speaking to Othello and warns him to look out for Cassio and Desdemona. Othello asks Iago if it was just Cassio that left from speaking with his wife.
Of Shakespeare’s five greatest tragedies, Othello is by far the most passionate and gripping. It is a tale of love, deception, evil, honesty, and virtue. Othello himself is set apart from other Shakespearean tragic heroes by the absolute feeling of affection the audience feels for him even unto the very end of the play. Any discerning reader painfully recognizes the virtue and goodness of Othello throughout the entire play, in contrast to the general degeneration of character so typical of a tragic hero. It is this complete pity that makes the death of Othello so tragic as the audience lends their full hopeful support until the inevitable and unavoidable fall. The evil side of Othello’s tragic flaw came from without, in the form of Iago. The internal flaw exists only in his heartrendingly unshakable goodness and honor.
William Shakespeare masterfully crafted Othello, the Moor of Venice as an Aristotelian tragedy play. The main protagonist of the play, Othello, is the perfect example of a tragic hero. Shakespeare was influenced by Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero and used Aristotle’s principles to create Othello. William Shakespeare attempted to create an Aristotelian tragedy play with a tragic hero and succeeded in Othello, the Moor of Venice by weaving in pity and fear into each line and action. The power of pity and fear creates the upmost tragic situation and follows in accordance of Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. Othello makes the ultimate act as a tragic hero by killing himself at the end of the play. “Othello, more than any play in the canon, has a fascinating and contentious performance and reception history,”
Iago and Othello have what Othello believes is a trustworthy relationship. When Iago first mentions that when Othello approaches his wife Desdemona, Cassio sneaks away as if he has something to hide from him. This is how
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