Othellos Tragic Flaw Essay example - 1082 Words

Othellos Tragic Flaw The extravagant language and literary techniques used in Shakespeares Othello enhance the settings, characters, and themes. Othello, an intricate tragedy about good versus evil, loyalty, love, sexual jealousy, and appearance versus reality, is told in a first person point of view. The play is entitled Othello and the plot and action encompasses him, thus supporting his position of protagonist. The play takes place during the Renaissance in Venice, Italy and in Cyprus over three days. The opening scene of Othello is very dramatic as it begins in the middle of a disagreement or argument between two of the characters, Iago and Roderigo. Iago is a corrupt individualist who†¦show more content†¦Therefore the term ‘Moor’ used for Othello throughout the play may have or not shocked the audience, as it is a racist remark. One of Othello’s focal flaws would be his colour. One could argue is Othello is a racist play? This play does conform to the stereotypical image of a Moor; the play opens with racist language, ‘Moorship’, ‘the thick lip’, ‘Old black ram’. At the start of the play when he is seen heroic and noble, he is seen as being ‘more fair than black’, however when he kills Desdemona he is the ‘blackest devil’. On the other hand Shakespeare has dealt with the issues of race, and h as written about it, he challenges stereotypical labels such as ‘Moor’ and exposes racism. However Othello clearly feels himself to be an outsider, â€Å"your great business†. â€Å"Your† implies that he does not feel himself to be part of Venice, he does not say â€Å"we†. Iago expects this feeling Othello has very cleverly by appearing as a world-weary man, knowledgeable of Venice and Venetian women. Othello is a prestigious character, ‘Valiant Othello’ and is respected by the senators for his valiant service in war. Othello seems to have a good deal of ‘self knowledge’. This is revealed through his calm assurance when faced with Brabantio’s fury as he had â€Å"stolen† Desdemona from him. Othello Marries Desdemona, a Venetian white woman, who is also the SenatorShow MoreRelatedOthellos Tragic Flaws746 Words   |  3 PagesOthello’s tragic flaws Rodrigo Diaz 5/13/14 William Shakespeare wrote many plays in the 1600’s, lots of them were tragedies. William Shakespeare’s plays often had the downfall of a hero in it. In the play Othello: the tragic hero, Othello who is a larger than life character has earned a high rank in life as well as the military. He is a much respected man even though he is black. And has married a white woman named Desdemona. But when he makes the decision to make Casio Lieutenant instead ofRead MoreOthellos Tragic Flaw Essays1208 Words   |  5 Pagesby becoming a military general. In the military Othello meets Cassio and Iago, he chooses Cassio as his lieutenant which upsets Iago. The promotion of Cassio begins to show jealousy in the play. Even though Othello is not a ruler in Venice, his tragic flaws are jealousy and gullibility, therefore Othello is easily manipulated by Iago because Othello feels the need to be accepted. Iago plans to revenge Othello for not choosing him to become lieutenant, and knowing that Othello is easily deceived makesRead MoreEssay on Othellos Tragic Flaw852 Words   |  4 PagesShakespearean tragic heroes by the absolute feeling of affection the audience feels for him even unto the very end of the play. Any discerning reader painfully recognizes the virtue and goodness of Othello throughout the entire play, in contrast to the general degeneration of character so typical of a tragic hero. It is this complete pity that makes the death of Othello so tragic as the audience lends their full hopeful support until the inevitable and unavoidable fall. The evil side of Othello’s tragicRead MoreEssay about Othellos Tragic Flaws983 Words   |  4 PagesCreek, once commented that, â€Å"like all great romantics, Shakespeare realized love was a lot more likely to end with a bunch of dead Danish people than with a kiss†(Americans on the Bard). This emphasizes how easil y people can relate Shakespeare to tragic love. Although he did write many poems and plays with happy endings, his tragedies stand out the most. In these tragedies, people are often led through use of misconception, trickery, or both. An example of misconception can be shown by another ofRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1134 Words   |  5 PagesIn Shakespeare’s play Othello, there is love, jealousy, death and of course, a tragic hero. A tragic hero is one who experiences an inner struggle due to some flaw within his/her character; that struggle results in the fall of a hero. According to Aristotle, â€Å"A tragic hero is a character who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice and depravity, but by some error or frailty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Aristotle, Poetics). Othello is an intricate play that dwells into the privateRead MoreEssay The Tragedy of Othello1292 Words   |  6 Pagesexample 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 byRead MoreA Comparative of Shakespeares Othello and Oedipus Rex1511 Words   |  6 PagesA Comparative of Shakespeare’s Othello and Oedipus Rex In Shakespeare’s work Othello: The Moor of Venice, Othello’s over trusting nature was revealed when his trust in false accusations about his wife Desdemona’s unfaithfulness causes him to kill her and himself, conveying Othello as a tragic hero. Oedipus, the main character in Oedipus Rex, is characterized as a tragic hero when he tries to run away from his fate and finds out that the cause of his fate was his attempt to escape it. Oedipus RexRead MoreTragedy In Shakespeares Othello1519 Words   |  7 Pagesthe tragic hero of the play that drives the narrative rather than Machiavellian Iago. Audiences are attentive in the protagonist being caught in a crisis situation where an error is made through judgement or action. Shakespeare uses this idea by adapting Aristotles view on hamartia and applying it to his play Othello. Aristotle’s Hamartia is an incident in the plot this is often translated as the tragic flaw. The tragic flaw is what captivates the audience to further reflect on Othello’s characterRead MoreShakespeares Use of Aristotles Guidelines to Tragedy in Creating the Play Othello1572 Words   |  7 Pagesof its ability to bring the viewer into the drama and feel for the characters, especially the tragic hero. This analysis of tragedy was formed by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, and also noted in his Poetics (guidelines to drama). As a playwright, Shakespeare used Aristotle’s guidelines to tragedy when writing Othello. The play that was created revolved around the tragic hero, Othello, whose tragic flaw transformed him from a nobleman, in to a destructive creature, which would inevitably bring himRead MoreThe Mirror Of Weaknesses Of Shakespeare s Othello Essay1483 Words   |  6 PagesThe grand tragic play Othello written by Shakespeare illustrates the contradictions in human natures through the display of tragic falls of various characters such as Othello, Iago, and Roderigo. Othello, the protagonist of the play, fell in love with the daughter of a nobleman, Desdemona. However, this relationship is soon broken up because Othello believed the accusation from Iago, Othello’s subordinate, towards Desdemona for having a disloyal relationship with her husband Othello’s lieutenant