Othello as the tragic hero- character of Othello PDF

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Very useful history notes from a top uc lecturer. I took these notes using particular fonts and colour coding which is very aesthetic and easy to follow. These notes are useful for exam preparation, information for essays and to help you become an A student....

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Othello as the tragic hero- character of Othello Othello fits all of the criteria of a tragic hero that Aristotle outlined in his work, "Poetics" According to Aristotle: 1. The tragic hero has a noble stature and a high position in his culture. Othello is a general and commander of the Venician armed forces. Later he his governor of Cyprus. 2. The tragic hero, is great, but not perfect. The audience relates to him as a human being. The lack of self esteem because he is a Moor is a problem for Othello due to his exterior of the black skin. 3. The hero's downfall is the result of a "fatal flaw" in his character. It is the result of free will, not of an accident or mere fate. His lack of self esteem allows him to be manipulated by Iago into thinking his wife is having an affair. As well as a tendency for self-dramatisation and his passion 4. The hero's misfortune is not wholly deserved. The punishment exceeds the "crime." He kills his wife and then himself. Othello’s downfall was fuelled and controlled by Iago 5. The hero's fall is not pure loss. The is an increase in awareness, a gain in selfknowledge, or some sort of discovery on the part of the tragic hero. Before Othello dies he says, "one that lov'd not wisely but too well". This shows that Othello realizes that he was manipulated but it is too late. Othello’s character is shown through Desdemona and Iago Desdemona represents his loving and generous side which he rejects for Iago’s lies. The good side of nature is what society needs. Iago represents the dark side to humanity and of Othello’s self-centred ego. ‘Id’ and ‘ego’ in a way over how Othello acts from a Freudian sense. Love and trust regain their forces/strength at the end of Othello. This is shown by how Othello sees the errors of his ways and how he should have trusted Desdemona. Love and trust is shown to be the most important element in life and how there are dire consequences without it. Iago is punished and condemned by how his true nature of evilness is shown at the end. Therefore, Othello is a tragic hero, as shown at the end of Othello. This is arguably due to his self-centred nature, as represented by Iago and his gullibility due to his passion and tendency to self-dramatisation. In the end, again arguably, he redeems himself in the eyes of the audience so they are left to feel sympathy, due to how Iago played a part in Othello’s downfall and this emphasises Shakespeare’s message of the importance of trust and love in society....