Essay The Tragedy of Othello - 1292 Words

William Shakespeare masterfully crafted Othello, the Moor of Venice as an Aristotelian tragedy play. The main protagonist of the play, Othello, is the perfect example of a tragic hero. Shakespeare was influenced by Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero and used Aristotle’s principles to create Othello. William Shakespeare attempted to create an Aristotelian tragedy play with a tragic hero and succeeded in Othello, the Moor of Venice by weaving in pity and fear into each line and action. The power of pity and fear creates the upmost tragic situation and follows in accordance of Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. Othello makes the ultimate act as a tragic hero by killing himself at the end of the play. â€Å"Othello, more than any play in the†¦show more content†¦This creates pity in the play as the audience may become sympathetic for the tragic hero. Lastly, the tragic hero must have a downfall. This comes together from the protagonist being of high estat e and having a tragic flaw. Othello fits perfectly into the three requirements to become an exemplary tragic hero. Othello is a highly respected soldier for the Venice army. He is of elevated status making him of high estate to fulfill the first requirement of being a tragic hero. Othello’s tragic fall is that he is too trusting and is quick to be jealous. He also feels like an outsider in Venice due to his race. Othello trusts everything which is told to him which ultimately leads to his fall. He is also jealous and insecure. He takes the Iago’s words instead of trusting his wife, Desdemona. He is jealous of Desdemona’s possible affair. The jealous and insecurity he feels leads to his downfall which completes Aristotle’s requirements of what makes a tragic hero. In order to fully appreciate Othello as a tragic hero, the reader or the audience must take a closer look at each of Othello’s steps which led to his demise as a tragic hero. Aristotle’s first requirement was for the protagonist to be of high estate. Most tragic heroes were of royal blood such as Oedipus in Oedipus the King by Sophocles. However, Othello is a highly respected general. Othello is called â€Å"valiant† by the Duke of Venice. The Duke shows Othello great respect throughout Othello’sShow MoreRelatedOthello Tragedy Analysis1276 Words   |  6 PagesUltimate Reason For Othello’s Tragedy--Self-Contempt Speaking of the reasons of Othello’s tragic ending, the opinions have been various. Some people believe that racial discrimination contributes to the tragedy; some deem that Othello’s character defects causes the tragedy; some think that the instability of their love leads to the tragic end†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ In my opinion, many of these factors are the by-products of his self-contempt, the most fundamental reason of Othello’s tragedy should be inferiority complexRead MoreOthello - the Greatest Tragedy1109 Words   |  5 PagesA Shakespearean tragedy is one that encompasses many different elements. 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