Othello, the Moor of Venice: A Tragic Hero

943 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character of Othello by Shakespeare research thesis

Miller’s Willy Loman exemplifies the core elements of a tragic hero who experiences a shift in understanding, fears that result in failing, and belief that any man, even a Lo-man, can experience that which is tragic.
In Shakespeare's Othello the Moor of Venice, Othello is considered a tragic hero because he undergoes a
Othello possesses both a noble birth and displays heroic qualities. One might argue, that he is a “Moor”, so this automatically places him on a lower level than most of society, and can’t classify as being born noble. This idea is contradicted because he is also born a prince, which means that he was indeed born of nobility. His position as a general in the army is due to his own hard work, and in the play we mainly hear about this position, and not his royalty. This makes his nobility self-made due to his leadership and hard work in the army, and not his birth. While Othello was not of noble birth, Othello is introduced to the reader in the theatrical work as a noble man, serving Venice as a high-ranking military official, with plenty of respect from others. (FIND A QUOTE)
Hamartia is Greek for ‘fault, failure and guilt'. It is the fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero, and Othello exemplifies this characteristic by appearing at the beginning of the play as a noble well-meaning man. As Othello says in the tragedy, “Think'st thou I'd make a life of jealousy, to follow still the changes of the moon 
With fresh suspicions? No; to be once in doubt Is once to be resolved: exchange me for a goat,
 When I shall turn the business of my soul To such exsufflicate and blown surmises,
 Matching thy inference. 'Tis not to make me jealous” (3.3.31). Here, Othello claims that he won't be destroyed by jealousy. He r...

... middle of paper ...

...teia, anagnorisis and catharsis throughout the dramatic piece. (EXPAND)

Works Cited

"Aristotle - Poetics." Aristotle - Poetics. Ed. S. H.. Butcher. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. .

"Elements of a Tragic Hero in Literature." N.p., 2008. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.

Heilman, Robert B. "Tragic Hero." Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.

"Poetics / by Aristotle; Translated by S. H. Butcher." EBooks@Adelaide: Free Web Books, Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. .

Reeves, Charles H. "The Aristotelian Concept of the Tragic Hero." JSTOR. N.p., 1952. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.

Shakespeare, William. Othello (Folger Shakespeare Library). Ed. Paul Werstine and Barbara A. Mowat. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Tragic Heroes And Their Downfalls In Shakespeare's Othello

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • A Further Look Into The Downfall of Othello by William Shakespeare

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Othello." Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Lynn M. Zott. Vol. 68. Detroit: Gale, 2003. N. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 8 May 2014. .

    Read More

  • The Lost Identitiy of Othello

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare, William. Othello. The Complete. Moby (tm) Shakespeare. Online. Mass. Institute of Technology. Internet. 16 Nov. 1996

    Read More

  • Othello's Honor

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Friendship and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

    1716 Words  | 4 Pages

    Gakuran, Michael. "Aristotle’s Moral Philosophy | Gakuranman • Adventure First." Gakuranman Adventure First RSS. N.p., 21 May 2008. Web.

    Read More

  • Othello, The Moor of Venice

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    11 Dec. 2011. The "Othello". Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry. Ed. Anne Marie Hacht.

    Read More

  • Human Frailty in Othello

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    Othello is the Cultural Other in Venetian society, and while he is very learned, it is probable that he is not fully aware of the social and cultural mores that govern Venice. As a Moor, Othello was reared outside Venice, and thus remains separate and exoticized.  Although a great military man, and accepted by the elite of Venice, there is still a foreign-ness to him. The characters in the play, for the most part, call Othello "the Moor" (1. 1. 37, 1. 1. 161, 1. 2. 56). By calling Othello "the Moor," his proper name is taken away and he is left as an object. He is only accepted because of his military prowess, and seems to be used almost as a commodity; he is sent to Cyprus, with little warning--almost at the whim of the Duke. It is only because he is valuable to Venice that he is not punished for marrying the white Desdemona; Brabantio's anger is a clear indication that miscegenation is not an acceptable practice. Therefore, being a stranger to Venetian society, even a vague inkling that he is only a body used to fight may lead to insecurity that only exacerbates the deep-seeded, pre-existing ...

    Read More

  • Learning Temperance in Homer’s Odyssey

    1517 Words  | 4 Pages

    Baird, Forrest E., and Walter Kaufman. "Aristotle." Ancient Philosophy. 3rd ed. Philosophic Classics, vols. 1. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. 304 - 444.

    Read More

  • Jay Gatsby: The Tragic Hero in The Great Gatsby

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    The. The "Aristotle". Home Page English 112 VCCS Litonline. Web. The Web.

    Read More

  • Love and Duty in Virgil’s Aeneid and Augustine’s Confessions

    1593 Words  | 4 Pages

    Virgil. “The Aeneid, Book IV”. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 974-95. Print.

    Read More

  • Othello's Tragic Flaw

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the first impressions gained of Othello is that he is a great war hero. Before much else is said of him, tales of his skill and valor in battle are illustrated and he is shown to be a great and famed warrior. He naturally possesses many attributes typically associated with soldiers. From the beginning Othello is noble, quick to act, judicious, trusting, and gives much weight to the importance of duty. These are all traits that serve to make him great at the beginning of the play, and later, ironically become key elements in his downfall. These aspects can be considered the internal causes of Othello’s tragic flaw. “Othello's nature is all of one piece. His trust, where he trusts, is absolute…. Love, if he loves, must be to him the heaven where either he must leave or bear no life. If such a passion as jealousy seizes him, it will swell into a well-night incontrollable flood.” Othello is pure an...

    Read More

  • Tartuffe: An Excellent Example of a Neoclassical Drama

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    Smithson, Isaiah. "The Moral View of Aristotle's Poetics." Journal of the History of Ideas 44.1 (1983): 3-17. JSTOR. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. .

    Read More

  • Othello The Moore Of Venice Essay

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    The tragedy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. As it hath beene diuerse times acted at the Globe, and at the Black-Friars, by his Majesties servants. Written by William Shakespeare set in Venice. The plot is based on a story about two people who love each other dearly and the problems and conflicts they face from the start. The conflicts are, for the most part, tied in with racial issues and questions of loyalty. These conflicts stem from the society around the couple, as well as from the couple themselves as they too are part of this society, but with very different backgrounds: The female protagonist is the daughter of a highly-respected Venetian senator: Brabantio. Othello--also known as the Moor--is a foreigner, black in color, has a past

    Read More

  • Achilles: a Tragic Hero

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aristotle. "Poetics." In The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends. Ed. David H. Richter. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990.

    Read More

  • Aristotle’s Elements of Tragedy

    1479 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. Gerald F. Else. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 1967. Dorsch, T. R., trans. and ed. Aristotle Horace Longinus: Classical Literary Criticism. New York: Penguin, 1965. Ley, Graham. The Ancient Greek Theater. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1991. Reinhold, Meyer. Classical Drama, Greek and Roman. New York: Barrons, 1959.

    Read More

More about Othello, the Moor of Venice: A Tragic Hero

Open Document