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

  • Julius Caesar Tragic Hero Quotes

    1076 Words  | 5 Pages

    What is a Tragic Hero? To Aristotle a tragic is a person of a noble birth, who has a trait that will lead to his/her downfall and realizes the weakness, making the audience become emotional. In “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar”, by William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, the emperor of the Roman Empire is the tragic hero. He is very arrogant and ambitious, he realizes about his flaws when he gets assassinated, and causes the audience to become emotional when he is killed.

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar Betrayal Essay

    801 Words  | 4 Pages

    He manipulates Othello into seeing a completely different and false treachery. Due to Iago’s scheming, Othello was beyond convinced that Desdemona was sneaking around with Cassio behind his back. He felt she betrayed their “sacred” matrimony and irrationally thought his only solution was to smother her to death. This fake betrayal exemplifies the themes of jealousy and the fragility of the love between Othello and Desdemona. Iago made sure Othello’s jealousy ran so rampant that his mind was overtaken by anguish.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Tragic Flaws In Othello

    675 Words  | 3 Pages

    Othello: A Tragic Hero’s Downfall due to Character Flaws Many people think power comes with protection. While shields and swords provide physical armor, the mind remains unprotected. Having power leaves a vulnerability like no other and creates a harbinger of tragedy. Othello is a Shakespearean tragedy written by William Shakespere that showcases the power of jealousy and tragedy and how those flaws destroy everything in their path.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Jealousy In Othello

    615 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Othello there are numerous examples of insecurity and jealousy in many of the main characters. Iago is able to take advantage of these feelings and use them in his plan to end the relationship between Othello and Desdemona and get revenge on Othello for passing him over for a promotion. Iago explains to Roderigo “But he, sir, had the election;

    Read More

  • Iago's Manipulation Essay

    1246 Words  | 5 Pages

    While playing with Othello’s mind, Iago mentions that he fears Desdemona will “[recoil] to her better judgement / May fall to match you with her country forms / And happily repent” (3.3.235-237). Essentially, Iago plants a seed of self-doubt in Othello’s mind that because he is not Venetian, he is not worthy of Desdemona. As such, she may regret marrying Othello and chose to leave him, or seek her pleasures elsewhere. Given that Othello already has the insecurity of otherness due to his race, Othello becomes warry, and though he brushes the comment off, he tells Iago to “set on [his] wife to observe” (3.3.239). Othello also questions why he

    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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • How Is Othello A Tragic Hero

    440 Words  | 2 Pages

    Iago convinces Othello of false information, convincing him to kill Desdemona. Easily manipulated by Iago, Othello’s inherent character flaw, irrational jealousy, directly interferes with his common sense, driving him into a murderous rage. The result, the unjust murder of Desdemona, also leads to Othello’s own suicide. In the case of Othello, the audience watches as his tragic flaw destroys Othello’s life and brings about his fall from grace.

    Read More

  • Thesis Statement For Othello

    494 Words  | 2 Pages

    As humans we all have been where rumors have been spread about us or where we do the opposite. They, however, all tend to do some harm to us and it can cause certain conflicts to occur during the process. Death can be the outcome of something like this because this did happen to three innocent people. They were all wrapped up in a bed of lies that ended their lives sooner than expected. Thesis statement: Othello Desdemona and Emilia ended up with unfortunate deaths because of Othello 's integrity towards Iago.

    Read More

  • Danger Of Jealousy In Othello

    1014 Words  | 5 Pages

    I know not if’t be true, but I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety.” Iago hears rumors of Othello possibly sleeping with his wife. As a result, Iago grows feelings of jealousy. Already being resentful of Othello for passing the promotion to Othello, this encounter increases Iago’s thoughts to ruin Othello. Iago’s jealousy of Othello possible sleeping with his wife is the spark of the motivation to ruin Othello.

    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

  • 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

More about Essay On Othello As A Tragic Hero

Open Document