ipl-logo

Essay On Othello As A Tragic Hero

738 Words3 Pages

According to Aristotle a tragic hero is a person, usually a man, of high position with outstanding qualities and greatness about him. In the plays Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and Othello by William Shakespeare the main characters are classified as tragic heroes. Oedipus grew up with his adoptive parents as his biological parents did not want him fearing a prophecy that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. Othello was betrayed by a soldier, Iago, because the soldier did not get the position he wanted. Iago began to spread lies about Othello’s wife, Desdemona, as well as other people he trust. When Othello heard these lies, he believed them which only hurt himself. Both the hand of fate and the fault of men caused the two tragic …show more content…

Iago tells Othello “observe her well with Cassio. Wear your eyes thus, not jealous nor secure” (Oth. 3. 3. 198-99). By telling this to Othello, Iago hopes that Othello will continue to believe the lies about Desdemona and hopes to ruin their marriage and strip Cassio of lieutenant. When desdemona tries to figure out what is wrong with Othello she turns to Emilia. Emilia then says to Desdemona “But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous,” (Oth. 3. 4. 153-55). Othello is beginning to believe the lies Iago is feeding him. When with Desdemona, Othello begins to act differently, and Desdemona talks to Emilia who informs her that Othello is being jealous. As Othello believes the lies he eventually killed his wife and nearly Cassio. He then found the truth of Iago’s plans and prosecuted him. The tragic downfall of Othello was brought upon himself, because he should have ignored Iago and trusted that his wife was faithful. In listening to Iago, Othello ruined his life, killed his spouse and hurt others as

Show More
Related

  • Persuasive Essay On Othello's Downfall

    1364 Words  | 6 Pages

    The depth of a man 's soul are as deep as a bottomless ocean, on the surface a man may look calm, secure, and collected, but as you journey within, you may find wild emotions that have the potential to inflict massive harm. In the case of Othello, his upbringing as a discriminated man groomed him to cause the tragic events that are to be unfolded in this story and also answer the question: Did Othello truly morph, or did he just let out the inner Hyde that was already in him? Therefore, this analysis seeks to ascertain how a man who seemed to have it all ended up morphing into a monster.

    Read More

  • Danger Of Jealousy In Othello

    1014 Words  | 5 Pages

    Another instance of how jealousy could blind one from distinguishing the truth would be how Othello cannot see past Iago’s deceiving lies. After just being manipulated to doubt his own wife, Desdemona, Othello speaks to himself, “this fellow’s of exceeding honesty and knows all quantities, with a learned spirit, of all humans, if I do prove her haggard.” Othello is constantly insecure of himself, though he never would imagine Desdemona cheating on him, Iago managed to “plant a seed” into Othello’s mind. Manipulating him that Desdemona is having an affair and he should keep a close eye on her. Now that Iago has managed to make Othello jealous, Othello would never see where and and when Iago is deceiving

    Read More

  • Thesis Statement For Othello

    494 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thesis Statement: Othello’s generosity and integrity, let the false accusations that Iago told him get to him because he was too focused on one part of the story that was being told. Forecast: As Othello kept listening to Iago 's lies he became very heated and ended up killing

    Read More

  • How Othello's Character Changes

    844 Words  | 4 Pages

    Othello starts to believe Iago’s lies about his friends and wife, leading Othello to change his behavior towards his closest allies. Iago instigates a fight between Cassio and Montano, and Othello must take charge of his soldiers, he says: Thy honesty and love doth mince this matter, Making it light to Cassio. Cassio, I love thee But never more be officer of mine. (2.3.210-213) Othello makes the decision to fire Cassio, and things get worse when Iago makes his wife, Emilia, steal Desdemona 's handkerchief.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Tragic Flaws In Othello

    675 Words  | 3 Pages

    Othello’s tragic downfall is a result of his overly trusting character, vulnerability to jealousy, and his inability to foresee the consequences of his own actions. Othello’s biggest characteristic flaw is trusting people around him by assuming they respect his position and power. Othello trusts Iago as both his friend and Standard-bearer. However, Iago has proved to be selfish as he only follows Othello to benefit himself. “I follow him to serve my turn.”

    Read More

  • How Is Othello Related To Shakespeare's Life

    1252 Words  | 6 Pages

    Othello is convinced by Iago that his wife Desdemona is having and affair with Cassio. Othello hesitantly believes Iago but is finally convinced of his wife’s adultery. Killing Desdemona sparked his downfall ( About Education,

    Read More

  • Theme Of Manipulation In Othello

    944 Words  | 4 Pages

    Iago also manipulates Othello with jealousy. When Othello is gone at war, Iago tells him that Cassio and Desdemona were getting too close. At first Othello does not believe him, but by Iago saying “nothing,my lord; or if- I know not what” Othello starts to question if it is true (III. III. 39). Iago constantly uses his “innocence” to make Othello jealous and start to assume that it is true. These actions eventually lead to a tragic event.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Jealousy In Othello

    615 Words  | 3 Pages

    These two events lead to Iago setting the stage for his revenge. Later in the play, when Cassio gets fired as lieutenant, it is Iago who suggests that he try talking to Desdemona to see if she can talk Othello into giving him the job back. His plan, then, is to put a bug in Othello’s ear that Desdemona and Cassio spend a lot of time together talking and does he think maybe something might be going on between them. His goal is to make Othello jealous and to trust him, in hopes that he will get the promotion he thinks he

    Read More

  • Iago's Manipulation Essay

    1246 Words  | 5 Pages

    The fact that Cassio was the first person to know about Othello’s relationship with Desdemona makes the situation even more complex, because Iago makes it appear that one friend went against another. Being an expert at deception, Iago also effectively manages to use the volume of his voice to stage a conversation between himself and Cassio while Othello observes in secret. Iago is so good at leading the conversation with Cassio, that he simultaneously manages to

    Read More

  • The Loss Of Iago's Mind In Othello By William Shakespeare

    427 Words  | 2 Pages

    Instead he told him to follow Othello and watch him because he knows Othello will kill Desdemona that night. Othello is filled with so much jealousy that he can’t see reason. Iago has brainwashed him so much he is to the point of no return. Emilia has tried to tell Othello that Desdemona has been a faithful good wife to him and the moment she leaves, he starts talking trash because he can’t believe it. I find it funny that she was kinda trash talking the person who told Othello wrong about his wife because in fact it was her own husband.

    Read More

  • The Destructiveness Of Jealousy In Shakespeare's Othello

    548 Words  | 3 Pages

    Othello simply ignores Iago’s warning; he must choose between trusting his wife or Iago. Ultimately, Othello’s soldierly pride is greater than his love for Desdemona and he unconsciously craves information to feed his jealousy (“Othello” Shakespeare for Students 433). Jealousy destroys Othello’s state of mind. Othello is mentally weak because he does not trust his wife; therefore, when Iago destroys his trust in Desdemona, jealousy begins to infect his mind. Othello is ultimately placed between an angel and a devil who both demand his loyalty (“Othello.”

    Read More

  • How Does Jealousy Lead To Othello's Downfall

    970 Words  | 4 Pages

    But, Othello did not seem to think so. This caused Iago to feel like he wasn 't appreciated and he vowed to get revenge on Othello. He got his revenge by working Othello 's mind to believe that Desdemona was cheating on him with Cassio. After Iago got Cassio drunk one night, Cassio lost his place as lieutenant. Iago suggested that he go plead to Desdemona to show her he is a good man, and then she would convince Othello.

    Read More

  • Who Is Desdemona's Jealousy In Othello

    685 Words  | 3 Pages

    This self consciousness leads to jealousy while he goes on with his relationship with Desdemona. Othello’s real problem, in the midst of everything that happens, is his own jealousy. Othello is self conscious about himself which causes him to be able to get worked up and jealous.

    Read More

  • Othello Tragic Hero Essay

    654 Words  | 3 Pages

    Desdemona and Othello were very much in love, but having that love be threatened by the handsome Cassio caused Othello to feel jealous of Desdemona’s friendship with Cassio. Cassio was never a real threat, but was perceived as such thanks to a few small nudges from Iago. Iago knew that Othello was insecure about the fact that he was a moor, so having him believe that Desdemona’s handsome white friend was in danger of stealing Desdemona from him wasn’t that hard. Throughout the performance, Othello is fed lies by the “Honest” Iago which could easily have been disproven by doing some basic research. Instead of doing the logical thing, he acts upon his suspicions exactly how Iago tells him to.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Othello

    986 Words  | 4 Pages

    Soon after this Othello’s standard bearer plotted to disgrace him which ends up with many characters deaths including both Othello and Desdemona. Because of how this tale ends in such an awful way, it brings to question why did Iago want to bring Othello down so badly. When looking at Othello one of

    Read More

More about Essay On Othello As A Tragic Hero

Open Document