William Shakespeare's Othello and The Tragic Hero
If one reads Shakespeare's Othello, they can come to the conclusion that
it might be one of the his most tragic plays ever written by Shakespeare. Romeo
and Juliet, is probably the most famous of his tragic plays, but Othello, has
characteristics that, I think make it even more tragic than his other plays, and
therefore for that reason, you can say that Othello is the most tragic hero.
Othello is a noble man, one who has grace with the ladies but also
possesses all the virtues of a military leader that he is. He is a general that
is experienced in battle. He has shown that he is reliable and well known in
the military and is well respected. His valiant personality, is what draws
people to him, as it does for Desdemona. The senators value him and hear what
he says when he speaks. This is shown here by one of the senators. "Here comes
Barbantio and the valiant Moor", (Act I scene 3, 47) . This is an example of
the many comments which shows Othello's character and personality as a person
and an officer. They say he is one of the great leaders.
Not only does he posses great character and courage, but also dignity.
He keeps his control even when he is being accused of witchcraft during the
first encounter with the senators when Desdemona's father confronts him about
see his daughter.
"Most potent, grave, and reverend signors,
My very noble and approved good masters;
That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter,
It is most true; true I have married her.
The very head and front of my offending
Hath the extent, no more. Rude I am in my speech,
And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace;"
(I, iii, 91)
This is an example of how Othello deals with style and grace under fire,
when he is accused of witch craft, by marrying Desdemona. He neither, yells or
screams, but explains in a manner that captivates his audience, and draws them
in to listen.
A major sign that Othello shows his rage and jealousy occurs in Act III,
scene 3, when Iago is talking with Othello and tells him that Desdemona is a
whore. Othello's breakdown, almost to choke Iago, simply asks Iago
"Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, Be sure if
it. Give me the ocular proof. Or by the worth of mine
eternal soul, thou hadst been better have been born a dog.
Than answer my waked wrath." (Act III, scene 3)
This a point in the play where Iago starts unveil his malicious plan.
The question of “What makes a leader great?” is without one solitary answer. Effective leaders in the corporate and political arenas are deserving of praise, but because of the nature of their work, military leaders are arguably more complex and intriguing.
How Othello Follows the Rules of Tragedy Tragedy is not just simply one sad event, in ancient Greek plays and in Shakespeare's tragedies it usually follows a number of common ingredients or rules. Firstly it involves a conspicuous or exceptional personality. For example in the occurrence of Princess Diana's death she was the exceptional character. She was a woman who had done an astonishing amount of work for charities and a Princess. The second rule of tragedy is that it must be unexpected and constructed with previous happiness or glory.
Othello's Lack of Perception and his Tragic Stature. Othello's lack of perception does to some extent diminish his tragic. stature in some parts of the world. However, it is reclaimed again, perhaps towards.
In my opinion, Thomas Gage is a very talented and well trained leader for an army. He knew how to listen to his men and he knew how to watch his opponents and how they fought and this would help him defeat the British. Thomas Gage was a very successful general in war and he picked his men out very well. In his biography you will find that he was very well respected and trusted in his home by his family and friends, then most importantly in the field of battle. Then as I walk you through his accomplishments you will see all the battles he fought hard and conquered, then you will also see how popular he was among the other leaders and army men. Then towards the end, you will learn about the big impact Thomas had on some of the wars he fought in and some of the men he fought with.
General John Pershing was arguably one of the most creative, tactical commanders and of the last century. His commitment to his troops, his duty, and his loyalty to the United States and his sense of honor fashioned one of the greatest leaders our country has ever seen. His contributions to the modern army is beyond reproach (Perry, 2011).
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." The English Review 15.3 (2005): 15. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 8 May 2014. .
due to his race are vast, for example at the start of the play when
Pianin, Eric. "A Senator's Shame." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 19 June 2005. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.
Othello as A Tragedy of Outsiders The most obvious way of being an outsider in Othello is through being a foreigner, and a non-Venetian. Othello and Cassio are both outsiders in this sense, Othello is a black man, a "Moor", and Cassio is a "Florentine". Othello begins in Venice, in Shakespeare's time the great commercial centre of the western world. Venice was the place of great hustle and bustle, merchants and tradesmen from other lands were commonplace, and yet we see throughout the play how Othello and Cassio are ridiculed. Cassio is degraded as he is from Florence; Iago calls him "a great arithmetician".
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 play Othello is Shakespeare's own version of a classic Greek tragedy. A classical dramatic tragedy derives its essence from the ancient Greek plays that were often popular in Athens. These plays would typically consist of the downfall of a famous Greek character in history/legend, or the breakdown of a hero. Typically the hero is forced to struggle against overwhelming odds, and fate only that this characters downfall would be so imposing that regardless of these forces of nature and fate that destroy him, that he would rise and regain glory due to his moral victory. These tragedies would invoke terror and pity on the audience, in a sense a tragedy could be considered a form of a catharsis, literally cleansing the soul as it is performed, even though the horror typically disturbed audiences, at the same time it cleansed their soul and purified the spirit.
Iago mutters this in act 3 scene 3 when he sees Desdemona and Cassio talking. Iago hints that he knows something making sure Othello can hear yet making it subtle enough to pretend that he didn’t want him to know. Iago then pretends to be reluctant to tell Othello about Desdemona,
In the tragedy Othello, Shakespeare creates a mood that challenges the way a person sees his or her self and the world. Subjects like racism, sexism, love, hate, jealously, pride, and trickery are thoroughly developed in the play of Othello to enable the audience to view the characters and also themselves. The Shakespearean tragedy of Othello was written in a time of great racial tensions in England. According to Eldred Jones, in 1600 just three years before Othello was written, Queen Elizabeth proclaimed an Edict for the Transportation of all "negars and blackmoores" out of the country ("Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays 39). It is in this atmosphere that Shakespeare began the masterpiece of Othello, a drama about a noble black Arab general, Othello, who falls in love with and marries, Desdemona, a young white daughter of a senator. From the above knowledge one may conclude that Shakespeare wrote Othello to express that all people, of all ethnicity, are basically the same in human nature. Shakespeare borrowed the idea of Othello from an Italian love story by Giraldi Cinthio. However, Shakespeare focuses more on the differences in color and age between Othello and Desdemona than Cinthio. Shakespeare does this to escalate Othello’s isolation from the rest of Venetian society and to display Othello’s vulnerability due to his color. In the tragedy not only is Othello susceptible to weaknesses but so is every major character . The tragedy reminds humans that even one’s good nature can be taken advantage of for the worse. The drama Othello expresses, through relationships and emotional attitudes, a theme that all humans are vulnerable to destruction even if they are in positions of power and glory.
Mrs. Cornwall ENG3U1 October 14 2015 A Tragic Hero’s’ Path Towards His Downfall In society there are always people who are easily manipulated and possess poor judgment. This leads them to make wrong decisions and negatively affect their lives and the lives of the people around them. The reason for Othello’s tragic downfall was because of his poor judgement, his easily manipulated conscience and his jealousy and obsession with the world. These traits displayed why Othello was responsible for the play’s tragic outcome. The first trait that led to Othello’s downfall was his easily manipulated conscience.