A tragic hero is a character in a tragedy whose tragic flaw leads to their inevitable downfall. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello bears the title of a tragic hero. Othello is a tragic hero because he has the fatal flaw of jealousy, he is liked by the audience and Othello changes society.
Othello initially is a tragic hero because he is liked by the audience. The audience admires Othello for being a respected hero and high ranked, doing so much for the government. This gives the audience a reason to see him as a hero of Cyprus making him a tragic hero. Othello furthermore assures the audience’s liking by being humble. Though an honorable general, Othello does not brag claiming “From men of royal siege, and my demerits / May speak unbonneted, to as proud a fortune” (1.2.22-23). Othello discloses that he is from a royal family, however chooses to speak (without his hat) on equal terms. This makes Othello humble in the audience’s eyes. Othello additionally has the character trait of being very loving to Desdemona stating “But that [he] love the gentle Desdemona” (1.2.25). Though their love starts to stumble, Othello
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The Outcome of his death brings justice to Iago by sending him away to be tortured. This justice for the villain proves that good will eventually conquer evil. Subsequently, Othello’s death leads Cassio to gain the title of the general. This proves that Othello, the hero, has an impact on society after his death both with the villain and a bring justice to those who deserve it. Finally, Othello’s death is to be told to everyone about an honest black man being fooled by an evil white man. It is said by Lodovico that, “[He] will straight abroad, and to the state/ This heavy act with heavy heart relate” (5.2.366-367). Lodovico will tell the state/government about Othello’s hardships to bring truth to the story of Othello. With Othello altering society after his death he is considered a tragic
A tragic hero is an individual who possesses a fatal flaw in their character that will bring about their own destruction or suffering. Aristotle believed that “A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall. (Aristotle #1)” This Ancient Greek philosopher also believed that each tragic hero has four characteristics. The first of these characteristics is that a tragic hero is born with either wisdom or high integrity, and in some cases both.
What is a tragic hero? A tragic hero is typically defined as a character in a literary work who has a lot of pride and makes a judgment error that leads to their ultimate demise. The downfall usually has to do with their pride.
When it comes to being a tragic hero the character has to have the qualities of being a tragic hero. A tragic hero is where the main character of a tragedy whose fatal flaw leads to his or her destruction. Either the character was born into society as a great man or a slave, they may have carry
What do you define a tragic hero as? In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is seen as tragic hero by Aristotle’s tragic hero characteristics. The six tragic hero characteristics are having noble greatness, being imperfect, having a downfall that is partially their own fault, their misfortune is not wholly deserved, fall is not pure loss, and some good has come from the hero’s death. In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is a tragic hero because he has noble stature or greatness, his downfall is partially his fault, and some good has come from his death.
Northrop Frye once said, “Tragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable conductors of the power about them, great trees more likely to be struck by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divisive lightning.” Othello is the pillar of tragic heros, first playing the part of a loving husband with a beautiful wife, then being manipulated into believing his wife was cheating on him and killing her. Throughout the play, he played the part of the protagonist, everyone hoping he would figure out Iago was lying to him. Othello being the protagonist made the fact he was also a villain bittersweet. His apparent love for his wife Desdemona, his ‘just’ reasoning for killing her, and Iago’s deserving end all contribute to the tragic work as a whole.
Othello and Antigone are both tragic heroes. They do great deeds and have great power or strength. For example, Othello defeats Venice's enemies. Antigone makes sure that a Theban right is a Theban due. But fatal character flaws destroy the lives of the two heroes. Both of them suffer from pride and uncontrolled passion. Othello is so proud of his integrity and courage that he doesn't recognize his violent temper and his manipulability by Iago. Antigone is so proud of her commitment to the true, the right, the proper, and the correct that she doesn't respect differing, less passionate opinions. Antigone tragic specific representation in the law between the country and God, while Othello tragic is reflected in Othello’s character defect.
By definition, a tragic hero is a protagonist that due to some tragic flaw loses everything he has. Throughout history, literature has always been filled with main characters possessing some tragic flaw. In Macbeth, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his enormous ambition to become king. In Hamlet, Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his need for revenge for the death of his father at the hands of his uncle. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s tragic flaw is his need to be remembered. In the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, Beowulf also has a tragic flaw, excessive pride and the search for fame, which ultimately leads to his demise.
In The Tragedy of Othello, William Shakespeare tells the tale of the “noble Moor” whose honor and innocence bring about his downfall. Shakespeare writes of the power of jealousy, and the art of masterful deception and trickery. The story primarily takes place in Cyprus, during a war between the people of Venice and the invading Turks. In this play Shakespeare shows the feelings of Othello’s embittered right-hand man of, Iago, who feels he is passed over for a promotion and swears his revenge. He proceeds to manipulate his friends, enemies, and family into doing his bidding without any of them ever realizing his ultimate goal. He makes Othello believe that his new wife, the innocent Desdemona, is committing adultery with his newly promoted officer Michael Cassio. After this seed of jealousy has been planted, Othello’s mind takes its course in determining the true outcome, with a little more nudging from Iago. The course of action he proceeds to follow is one that not only ends his own life, but also the life of his wife and others. In Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Othello, Othello is a man who is still truly honorable, despite the course of action he takes to resolve his perceived problem.
Othello's reputation also plays a big role in this play and the outcome of it. He has the reputation of a no nonsense military general. This status in fact partly causes Desdemona's death. He becomes so distraught when he hears from Iago that Cassio and Desdemona and cheating on him he becomes angry and wants to kill her. "I will chop her into messes! Cuckold me?" He is surprised and astonished that she would go behind his back and do this. His reputation doesn't allow him to confront her with the situation and talk things over. He is also angry that his reputation would be tarnished when found out that he is a cuckold. He proves that his reputations means a lot to him when he says, "For nought I did in hate, but all in honour." Othello believed that reputation was everything, because of his status as a general and the fact that those under him and above him respected him. Othello's reputation played a big role in the outcome of the play and in part caused Desdemona's death and his own.
Othello is a classic Greek tragedy because it abides by Aristotle's definition of great tragedies, the place, time, and focus of a single plot throughout the entirety of the play. Othello is a tragic hero whose demise is brought forth by his own tragic flaw. He is susceptible to the manipulation of others do to his own insecurity with himself, and ultimately leads to his irrational murder of the only thing he treasured, Desdemona. Through manipulation and deception, Iago is able to become the puppeteer of Othello's life, controlling the course of his fate in a sense simply through the power of words. Iago proves to be a crucial factor in the destruction of Othello's world.
Hamlet. Romeo. Othello. These men not only star in some of Shakespeare’s finest plays, but they are all classic examples of tragic heroes. A tragic hero is one who is courageous and admired but who has a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. Othello was one of the greatest military men of the time. He was highly respected among his superiors for both his military prowess and level headed nature. This was a man who could be in the heat of a battle and would remain collected. Though this great hero also had great shortcomings. Othello was naive, jealous, and concerned with public appearance. Othello is truly a dynamic character. As the play continues and his jealous increases, Othello gradually changes from a flawless military general into
...o he murders his wife. Then, he does not want to be made to look like a murderer so he begs to be remembered as a different man than the one he actually is. In the midst of trying to save his reputation, Othello reveals his subconscious fears of not being accepted and always looking like a foreigner no matter what he accomplishes. Out of all his accomplishments in the military, Othello wants to be remembered for one specific story – the time he saved a Venetian from being abused by a Turk. It is as if he is forcefully portraying himself as a contributing member of Venice by saying that he protected it from outside forces. At the same time, he equates himself to the Turk and kills himself in the same way he killed the Turk. Othello, in trying to save his reputation, loses everything he has ever cared about or worked for – Desdemona, his reputation, and his career.
Othello, a man who without his reputation would be greatly looked down upon due to his race, acknowledges the importance of upkeeping his name. Othello mentions, “I pray you, in your letters,/ when you shall these unlucky deeds relate,/ speak of me as I am” (5.2.382- 384). In his last speech, he assumes he is worth writing about and does not want it to be as what we see as the truth. Ironically, to the audience, we have seen Othello's downfalls and his inability to be selfless, open-minded, attentive and understanding to his wife, Desdemona. For if we were to write of who he was, it would sum up to something completely opposite than what Othello wishes for himself.
Othello is a man who comes from a hard life. In the time period the play is set in, racism is common and Othello is a target for it due to his dark skin. He fought in many battles and was put into slavery for a time. Now he is a high ranking General in the army. Othello, for all that he has been through, is also kind, caring, and trusting of those close to him. He cares and trusts his comrades and is loving and kind to his wife, Desdemona. Othello is also r...
	The downfall of the central character is the main concept of the tragedy. Without the main character’s downfall there is no reason for the reader to feel pity, therefore, no tragedy. The downfall of the protagonist in Shakespearean tragedies always originates from their tragic flaw. Othello’s tragic flaw is his jealousy, which Iago constantly reminds him about. This is first brought about in act III, scene 3 when Iago asks Othello if he has "Seen a handkerchief spotted with strawberries… did I today see Cassio wipe his beard with" (III, 3, 431-432/435-436). At this point Othello is jealous at Cassio for having won the heart of Desdemona and earned the handkerchief. Upon hearing this Othello flies into a mad fit by saying "O, that the slave had forty thousand lives!" (III, 3, 439). By his jealousy Othello makes himself very prone to many attacks on him by Iago.