Tragic Hero in Othelo by William Shakespeare
analytical Essay
989 words
Conventions of Othello
Shakespeare has been a part of the American Society for many years. Compared to other Authors, he has a different style of writing but within his own writings, they are all very much alike. He has written many plays including Othello and Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare was a man who wrote plays that followed the same literary conventions. These conventions included tragic hero, fallacy, irony, and also suspense.
A tragic hero is a male figure who is high in society and one who always has a tragic flaw. Most of them are rich and intelligent men. In the story of Othello, Othello is the tragic hero. He was a character of nobility. He was a high in class and had high standards. He was also the focal point of society. People looked up to him. He was more of a good man than an evil man, until the end of the play.
Tragic Heroes have flaws that vary. Some men may have a weakness for being jealousy, for some men it might be arrogance, and for others it may be one’s own appearance. Othello’s main flaw was jealousy, which is what led him to the death of his wife, Desdemona (cliffnotes) . He also had another flaw, which was gullibility. Gullibility leads him to believing Iago and his misleading about Cassio, Desdemona, and etc… Without a flaw, a character cannot be a hero. This flaw leads to the downfall of the hero. Othello’s flaws are what made him seem to be a bad person. It is also what leads him to killing Desdemona.
In the story of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo was the tragic hero. His flaw was relying more on passion and love than common sense. He did not think before he made actions. Much like Othello, a death happened because of misleading and no understanding of what was really happening.
Besides Tragic ...
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...?" In Romeo and Juliet, What Are the Different Types of Irony Used? Um, What's Irony? N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.
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Shmoop Editorial Team. "Romeo and Juliet Summary." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. .
"Symbols in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare." Yahoo Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Compares shakespeare's style of writing to other authors. he has written many plays including othello and romeo and juliet. shakespeare followed literary conventions such as tragic hero, fallacy, irony, and suspense.
- Explains that a tragic hero is someone who is high in society and who always has tragic flaws. in the story of othello, he was the character of nobility, high standards and the focal point of society.
- Analyzes how othello's flaws led him to the death of his wife, desdemona, and his gullibility, which led to his downfall.
- Analyzes how romeo's flaw was relying more on passion and love than common sense. he did not think before he made actions.
- Compares shakespeare's use of the convention of fallacy with othello. romeo sighed and added more clouds to the clouds in the sky.
- Explains that shakespeare used several different types of irony throughout the play. in othello, he focused more on dramatic and situational ironies.
- Analyzes othello's dramatic irony in knowing iago is evil and deceitful, and desdemona is innocent.
- Explains that cassio was nave and didn't recognize that iago and othello wanted him dead. emilia worked against desdemona to steal the handkerchief.
- Compares romeo and juliet's dramatic irony with the false marriage between julie and paris.
- Analyzes how othello's suspense is intellectual and emotional. the audience wants to know what is going to happen next and who it will happen to. iago is manipulative and liar.
- Analyzes how the audience wonders if juliet will marry someone else since she can't be married to romeo. they also wonder whether romano will kill himself.
- Opines that many people today don't realize how many literary conventions shakespeare has included in his plays, including fallacy, tragic hero, irony, and suspense.
- Cites dorsch, t. r., ley, graham, reinhold, meyer. classical drama, greek and roman
- Explains that in romeo and juliet, what are the different types of irony used? um, what's irony?
- Explains the othello study guide : summary and analysis of act ii. shmoop editorial team. "romeo and juliet summary."
- Cites dorsch, t. r., ley, graham, reinhold, meyer. classical drama, greek and roman.
- Explains that in romeo and juliet, what are the different types of irony used? um, what's irony?
- Explains the othello study guide : summary and analysis of act ii. shmoop editorial team. "romeo and juliet summary."
Related
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- The Character of Othelloanalytical essayThe Character of Othello Shakespeare's Othello is not simply a play which embodies the conflict between insider and outsider. The paradigm of otherness presented in this play is more complicated than the conclusion, "Othello is different; therefore, he is bad. " Othello's character is to be revered. He is a champion among warriors; an advisor among councilmen; a Moor among Venetians. Yes, Othello is a Moor, but within the initial configuration of the play, this fact is almost irrelevant.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how iago's emphasis on othello’s simplicity and honesty contrasts with his skillfully-crafted towers of lies and bejeweled misrepresentations.
- Analyzes how othello possesses base characteristics such as jealousy, self-pity, murderous intent, but they are not symbols of his otherness.
- Analyzes how iago transforms the perception of almost every character in the play, from cassio to roderigo, to the opposite of what it had been.
- Analyzes how iago is able to play so well on othello's insecurities for they are his own.
- Analyzes how othello's breakdown into self-questioning mirrors that of richard iii who became entangled in the oppositions of his character.
- Analyzes how othello's unfortunate psychological movement coincides with his actual journey to cyprus, which becomes a metaphorical representation of the transformation he endures.
- Analyzes how iago is villianized, speaking in the prose shakespeare reserves only for ne'er-do-wells.
- Describes bloom's modern critical interpretations, othello ed. harold bloom.
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- Analyzes how shakespeare's othello is not simply a play which embodies the conflict between insider and outsider.
- Analyzes how othello's inability to recognize that the trap by which cassio has been consumed is only the precursor to his own destruction foreshadows his eventual consumption by iago’s maneuverings.
- Introduces barthelemy, anthony g., in critical essays on shakespeare's othello.
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2133 wordsRead More - Othello: A Covert Discussion on Racismanalytical essay“Othello.” The Longman Anthology British Literature Volume One. Ed 4. Damrosch, David & Dettmar, Kevin J. H. New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc., 2010. 1272 – 1359. Print.
In this essay, the author
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- Analyzes how iago enlists the aid of roderigo in his plot against othello on a quiet night in venice.
- Analyzes how shakespeare is trying to send an anti-racist message. he is the tragic hero, even though he fulfills all the prejudices that iago and the other placed on him.
- Analyzes how shakespeare is trying to make the same point. he kills desmonda without remorse because he believes that his actions are moral.
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- Analyzes how shakespeare portrayed othello the moor as a tragic hero, like hamlet or king lear, or did this character redevelop over time as society's view on racism changed.
- Explains that shakespeare's fascination with tragedy is reflected in the consecutive plays of hamlet, othello, king lear, and macbeth.
- Analyzes how othello is well respected by his commanding officers, but barbantio doesn't like him because of his skin tone. shakespeare is not suitably drawing attention to people that present themselves as polite and forward but deep down hold racist views.
- Opines that shakespeare's play shows the varied themes of racism, love, jealousy, and betrayal, not othello’s race. he defiantly showed that iago and barbantio with their devious characters were more harmful than any moor would be.
1609 wordsRead More - "Othello." Shakespearean Criticism. Ed. Lynn M. Zott. Vol. 68. Detroit: Gale, 2003. N. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 8 May 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how othello, a play written by william shakespeare in approximately 1603, focuses on two opposite characters named otello and iago. the readers believe that his flaw is jealousy, which ruins his calm.
- Analyzes how shakespeare used metaphors to convince readers that blacks were viewed as inferior during the elizabethan era.
- Analyzes how othello makes his decision to kill his own wife for cheating because he is jealous of cassio's good looks and youth. iago is the character who sets up the bloodbath and triggers his jealousy.
- Analyzes how women were viewed as inferior housewives and mothers during the elizabethans. othello's love for desdemona is questionable because he would rush into sex right after the wedding and believe iago instead of her later on.
- Analyzes how the play focuses on the tragedy of the main character othello to point out flaws in a generally good character.
- Explains that "othello." the english review 15.3 (2005): 15. literature resources from gale.
1048 wordsRead More - The Jealousy Begins/Othelloanalytical essayThere were four main flaws that lead to the tragedy of Othello and the others in this play; racism, love, betrayal, but it was jealousy that played a major part. It can destroy many relationships and take over the mind tremendously. Jealousy can also be overwhelming; by making one obsessed with ideas. They all fall victim to jealousy; it makes them act outside of their norm.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how jealousy played a major role in othello's tragedy. jealousy can destroy many relationships and take over the mind tremendously.
- Analyzes how iago, emilia, bianca, roderigo and othello are all encased with jealousy in their own way. they all find different ways to sustain them.
- Analyzes how emilia's jealousy is resentful, because of her low social status, unhappy with her job, desdemona being married to othello, or her innocence.
- Analyzes how roderigo's jealousy comes from the obsession he has with desdemona. he lets iago trick him into his plot of revenge.
- Analyzes how bianca's jealousy came from the handkerchief that was found in cassio’s chamber. she begins to believe it is of another woman.
- Analyzes how othello's jealousy towards desdemona turns him insane and enraged. iago continues to avenge damaging ideas to his head and soon gets what he wants.
- Explains how jealousy can take hold of people, and how it can lead to betrayal and violation. being betrayed or violated is uncaring and hurtful.
- Analyzes how othello was written many years ago and we can still relate to its tone and setting within the play, especially when a person can feel when jealousy is present.
954 wordsRead More - The Personality of Othelloanalytical essayJones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare’s Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how othello's speech to brabantio and the duke in act 1, scene 3 is of major importance in describing his personality.
- Narrates how their father loved them and asked them the story of their life. they ran it through, even from their boyish days to the very moment that he told them.
- Opines that desdemona would incline to speak of antres vast and deserts idle, rough quarries, rocks, (and) hills whose (heads) touch heaven. but the house affairs would draw her.
- Narrates how they took a pliant hour and found good means to draw from her prayer of earnest heart that they would all their pilgrimage dilate.
- Narrates how she gave her for her pains a world of (sighs). she swore, in faith, 'twas strange,'twas passing strange.
- Analyzes how othello uses logic and an entrancing tone that surprises and allures his audience of brabantio and the duke.
- Analyzes how othello's tone is educated, loving, and trance-like. he tells the story of their courtship using phrases like, "she gave me for my pains a world of sighs."
- Analyzes how othello's imagery illustrates to his audience the actual process in which he wooed desdemona. his stories of "rough quarries, rocks, and hills whose heads touch heaven" and "the anthropophagi" expand on the soldier facet of his personality.
- Analyzes how othello's diction is well chosen, yet not baroque in style. his adjectives are few, and this gives them emphasis.
- Analyzes how othello's abstruse use of imagery, diction, and tone add to his believability and suave style.
- Cites barthelemy's "introduction" and bartels' "strategies of submission: desdemona, the duchess, and the assertion of desire."
- Analyzes jones, eldred, neely, carol, and snyder, susan. "beyond the comedy: othello"
1047 wordsRead More - Irregularities in Othelloanalytical essayThe Shakespearean tragedy Othello contains various irregularities of time and occurrence which cause the audience to scratch their head in wonder and doubt. Let us analyze some of these shortcomings in this essay.
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how the boy pushes the handkerchief from him, and it falls unnoticed.
- Cites heilman, robert b., "wit and witchcraft: an approach to othello." shakespeare: modern essays in criticism, ed. leonard f. dean.
- Explains mack, maynard, and everybody’s shakespeare: reflections chiefly on the tragedies.
- Describes wilson, h. s., on the design of shakespearean tragedy.
- Analyzes othello's irregularities of time and occurrence which cause the audience to scratch their head in wonder and doubt.
- Analyzes the propriety of the general’s slapping the face of desdemona in the presence of lodovico.
- Analyzes the impropriety of the general's treatment in everybody’s shakespeare: reflections chiefly on the tragedies.
- Analyzes how emilia's eye-witness account is disregarded, forgotten, or otherwise discounted in the final analysis.
- Analyzes how the play is unrealistic in that it relies on just plain luck for the working out of the plot.
1700 wordsRead More - Othello – It Ranks High or Low?analytical essayWilliam Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello has been given high marks by some critics and low marks by others. Let us elaborate on this problem in this essay.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the murderer cries again as he looks upon the sleeping desdemona and kisses her.
- Analyzes how human wisdom can be found in iago's initial words to sleepy brabantio: "zounds, sir, y'are robbed! for shame, put on your gown!"
- Explains abrams, m. h., "william shakespeare." the norton anthology of english literature.
- Cites wright, louis b., and virginia a. lamar. "the engaging qualities of othello." readings on the tragedies.
- Explains why the modern audience feels exasperated when viewing william shakespeare's tragic drama othello.
- Analyzes how othello's insistence on passion and private revenge makes him significant in the tragedy of its time.
- Analyzes how shakespeare's human wisdom comes partly from his understanding of the workings of man’s mind.
- Analyzes how shakespeare's "universality" is displayed in the human truth of his characters and his enduringly relevant themes.
- Explains ferguson, francis, and clarice swisher's "two worldviews echo each other."
2432 wordsRead More - The Morally Good and Bad in Othelloanalytical essayWilliam Shakespeare’s drama Othello is one concentrated contest between the forces of the morally good and the morally bad. Let us analyze this contest in detail in this essay.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the morally good and bad forces in shakespeare's othello. bloomfield and elliott highlight the dominant evil force in the play, iago.
- Analyzes how iago is a character who rejects morality and idealism. the debate centers around whether he had sufficient motives for his cruel actions or is an example of "motiveless malignity."
- Opines that totaling the lies which the ancient tells to everyone about him would require considerable effort and time. blanche coles comments on the lack of veracity in iago’s speech.
- Explains that the story that iago tells roderigo about the promotion of cassio over him is not true, although it has been accepted by many discriminating scholars. careless reading alone can account for this misapprehension, dulling their alertness to one of the most essential requirements of shakespearean character analysis.
- Analyzes how roderigo's opening lines to iago in act 1 scene 1 take us to the root of the problem.
- Analyzes how the wealthy playboy has been paying off the ancient for the soldier's intercession with desdemona on behalf of roderigo.
- Analyzes how iago suggests to the wealthy playboy that he may be able to recover desdemona by taking immediate strong action against the general.
- Analyzes how brabantio's public accusation against the moor leads to the duke and senators of the city council, and desdemona suspects that his influence is the reason why cassio is awarded the governorship of cyprus and othello is recalled home.
- Analyzes the chain of events triggered by the avarice of iago. they center around the characters of desdemona and othello: she leaves her selfish father to share her love with the ideal man.
- Analyzes how the ancient and roderigo plot to undo and destroy the virtuous newlywed couple. the lieutenant is lured into a drunken state by iago, and is dismissed by the moor.
- Analyzes how iago maneuvers the general into position for viewing cassio’s departure from desdemona’
- Analyzes how the heroine's virtuosity is inadequate to stem the tide of immorality. the general and iago plan the murders of cassio and desdemona.
- Analyzes how only desdemona and emilia reflect morality in their actions. othello thinks that he is doing the world a favor by eliminating his supposedly false wife.
- Analyzes how paul a. jorgensen discusses the theology of the final scene in william shakespeare: the tragedies.
- Opines that it is better not to look too anxiously into the theology of the outcome. othello is damned, but better theologians would place more credence and hope in the genuineness of his final passion.
- Cites citedbloomfield, morton w., and robert c. elliott, eds. great plays: sophocles to brecht.
1708 wordsRead More - Othelloanalytical essayIn many instances in literature, the flaws of characters lead into conflicts that arise and that the characters must attempt to overcome over the duration of the storyline. In some cases, the character facing these problems, typically the protagonist, is unable to triumph over such issues. This can cause their major character flaws to overwhelm them, and they can encounter even more troubles or even their own downfall. A comparable situation as the aforementioned is found in the Shakespearean tragedy, Othello, where the character flaws of the protagonist, Othello, cause weakness in his character, which ultimately leads to his downfall and death. One of the flaws that lead Othello to his downfall is the fact that he has very poor judgement, which is indisputably seen through the consistent trust that he finds in Iago. His downfall also occurs due to his overwhelming struggle against jealousy, which materializes primarily from the relationship that his wife has with Cassio. Furthermore, Othello’s insecurities cause weakness in his character, allowing the antagonist of the story, Iago, to use them in order to lead Othello into his downfall. With these faults in his character, it is evident that Othello’s downfall comes about due to his major character flaws.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the character flaws of the protagonist, othello, cause weakness in his character, which ultimately leads to his downfall and death.
- Analyzes how othello's poor judgement causes him to lose trust in desdemona and cassio.
- Analyzes how othello experiences jealousy because it violates his trust in cassio due to the many characteristics which he believes desdemona desires.
- Analyzes how insecurities can cause trouble in people's lives. othello is insecure about his race and faces worrisome thoughts because he is an outsider among the other venetians.
- Analyzes how othello's insecurities make him believe that desdemona doesn't want to be with a moor, which causes her to have an affair with cassio.
- Concludes that othello's downfall is due to his major character flaws, such as his poor judgement, jealousy, and insecurity.
1250 wordsRead More - A Play of Love Turned Bad: Shakespeare's Othelloanalytical essayIn conclusion Othello’s jealousy is the one flaw that brings him down the most as he had succumbed to the pernicious influence of revenge which was embodied by the character Iago. If Iago hadn’t been so manipulating and Othello so naïve, the event which resulted in the downfall of Othello could have been avoided; so I believe the reason for his downfall ultimately lies with weaknesses of his character.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare's famous play othello is a play of love that has turned bad by the unfounded jealousy of the protagonist character.
- Analyzes how each of shakespeare's tragic plays has to have a tragic hero. each of these tragic heroes would have their tragic flaw, they were all noble class and would face their tragedy with dignity.
- Explains that othello is responsible for many events and circumstances that contribute to his downfall in the play, including his ethnicity and his relationship with certain characters.
- Analyzes how shakespeare created the character of othello to be a ‘hero of the ancient world’, but there are certain circumstances beyond his control that contribute to his downfall.
- Analyzes how othello's racist attitude exposes him to the racist predigest from roderigo and brabantio who refer to him as an ‘old black ram’ and a ‘thick-lip owe’
- Analyzes how othello's relationship with desdemona and iago plays a vital role in the downfall of otello.
- Analyzes how the friction between iago and othello was evident from the start of the play, because in act 1 scene 1 otello promoted cassio, a promotion which infuriated the actor.
- Analyzes how iago sees othello's love for desdemona as a weakness of his character, and plants doubt into his naive mind.
- Opines that othello's naivety to the manipulation of iago is not entirely his fault, as he was very cunning and sharp when making sure that people saw him as ‘honest
- Analyzes how iagos' soliloquy in act one is a bitter speech of hatred and revenge to be taken out on othello.
- Analyzes how othello's mind has been corrupted by iago as he calls him a 'villain' and asks for visual proof to prove his disloyalty.
- Analyzes how othello starts to believe iago over his wife — he says ‘damn her’ and calls her a ‘lewd mix’. desdemona tries to change the subject by saying ‘talk me of cassio’, adding to his suspicions.
- Analyzes how othello and iago set up an arranged conversation about cassio's'relationship' with desdemona to reinforce the allegations made.
- Analyzes how scene 2 is the final scene of both desdemona and othello's lives.
- Analyzes how othello discovers that iago had set everything up and that desdemona was innocent all along. he then kills himself.
- Concludes that othello's jealousy is the one flaw that brings him down the most as he succumbed to the pernicious influence of revenge embodied by the character iago.
1534 wordsRead More