Essay about Othello as Victim of Hamartia - 2057 Words

Othello as Victim of Hamartia By definition, a tragedy is a story that details the downfall of a protagonist. Most often, the protagonist (tragic hero) is a member of high society who is faced with an oppositional force, be it internal or external. In his Poetics, Aristotle states that tragedy is the imitation of an action; and an action implies personal agents, who necessarily possess certain distinctive qualities both of character and thought; for it is by these that we qualify actions themselves, and these- thought and character- are the two natural causes from which actions spring, and on actions, again all success or failure depends.... This quote illustrates an aspect of tragedy upon which many works are based, including†¦show more content†¦In the beginning of the play, Shakespeare illustrates Othello as a benevolent military noble who shares an intellectual love with his young wife, Desdemona, that is of utmost purity and innocence. At once the evil character of Iago is introduced and uncover s the heros tragic flaw; ultimately that of naivetà ©. Although Othello is usually a very even-tempered man, as can be seen when he refuses to let Iago persuade him to get angry at Roderigo, (I, ii, 6), an exteriour opposing force characterized by Iago, perpetuates the tragedy of the play by provoking the interiour opposing force, or the hamartia of the protagonist. Near the beginning of the play, Shakespeares clever demonstration of dramatic irony allows the reader to realize Othellos tragic flaw in the fact that he hands his full trust over to a man who is Janus-faced and dishonest. ...my ancient; a man he is of honesty and trust. To this conveyance I assign my wife. The irony from this line lies in Othellos misconception of his ensign, Iago, who is already plotting against him for his own means. After witnessing Iagos conspiracy with Roderigo at the ruination of Othello in the previous act, the reader immediately sees Iagos villainess, however in innocence, Othello is blinded to it and by it. From this we see, as in many tragedies, the tragic heros flaw is not actually a defect in itself, but rather an excess of a virtue. In the case of Othello, this perilous virtueShow MoreRelatedThe Impact Of Blindness And Deception In Othello1360 Words   |  6 PagesNot All Can Truly Be Seen: An Analysis of the Impact of Blindness and Deception in Othello As much as humans want to believe and trust others, hesitation occurs due (to) a certain act called deception. All humans have the ability to be deceptive, although some more than others, there are too many who become a victim as a consequence of metaphorical blindness. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, blindness to the truth results from the antagonist’s acts of deception derived from desire andRead MoreTragedy In Shakespeares Othello1519 Words   |  7 Pagesconstruct the classic tragedy. This can be observed through action as seen in Shakespeare’s Othello. Shakespeare’s play Othello, most closely resembles the Greek philosopher’s theory of tragedy that achieves Aristotle s four unities (simplify this sentence): Hamartia, Peripetia, Anagnorisis and Catharsism. With Shakespeare adapting Aristotle’s theory of tragedy and its unities, it enables the playwright to present Othello as the tragic hero of the play that drives the narrative rath er than MachiavellianRead MoreOthello Essay1172 Words   |  5 PagesOthello Essay William Shakespeare’s Othello tells a story of the tragic downfall of a man through jealousy and mistrust, influenced by the manipulative actions of another. Due to innumerable changes within society over time, it is inevitable that a wide range of critical interpretations and readings of the text will emerge. My personal interpretation of the play draws from the concepts of the traditional Aristotelian views of a tragedy. An Aristotelian interpretation concerns itself with whetherRead MoreA Scrutiny of Othellos Character as a Tragic Hero2197 Words   |  9 PagesIn Othello, the Moor of Venice, the titular character, Othello, is the protagonist and subject to scrutiny as to whether or not he is a tragic hero in the conventional Aristotelian definition of the term. Aristotle believed a tragedy served to exercise the mature citizens moral sensibilities (Ferrari, 1999, p. 181). There are several different components of Aristotles definition of a tragic hero, which essentially serve as a set of criteria to determine whether or not Othello truly is a tragicRead MoreMirror of Good and Evil in Shakespeares Othello696 Words   |  3 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s Othello, the tragic hero, Othello, and the antagonist, Iago, are portrayed in very differing ways. Despite this fact, Iago repr esents the glaring faults and imperfections that Othello has, which ultimately leads to his downfall. Shakespeare very effectively uses Iago as a device to reveal Othello’s hamartias. The jealousy, mistreatment of women and racial insecurities are all flaws that Othello exhibits which are reflected in Iago’s character as well. As Othello’s flaws transpireRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Othello By William Shakespeare2324 Words   |  10 Pagesinvaluable for literary critics. It has been used for centuries to determine which plays can be labeled â€Å"tragedy,† and which fail to qualify. According to Aristotle’s definition, Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice can only be considered an Aristotelian tragedy if Othello can be classified as a â€Å"tragic hero†, if the play evokes both pity and fear, and if it is enhanced through both rhythm (meter) and melody. According to Aristotle, the protagonist of a tragedy can only be consideredRead Moreâ€Å"Aristotle’s Definition of the Tragic Hero and Irony in Tragedy† Oedipus Rex, Othello, and Death of a Salesman3217 Words   |  13 Pagesmisfortune due to some flaw of character or failure to find/some deviation from the moral and righteous path, which is referred to as the hamartia. (Myers) However, he cannot be of paramount virtue or righteousness for this would objectify him, in turn isolating him from human perceptivity and compassion though he must be of high or noble character. The hamartia at some point must be realized by the character and this experience is known as an anagnorisis; it is to be noted that the relationship betweenRead MoreDesdemona from Othello Essay example1358 Words   |  6 Pagesideology that she is not meant to be liked, merely pitied for her misfortune as a tragic victim (commonly defined as someone who dies due to the faults of others). Throughout O thello, Desdemona is presented as pure and innocent – in regards to this, Auden’s comment is unusual as Desdemona is seldom criticised; indeed many critics are complementary, giving her titles such as ‘gentle Desdemona’. Desdemona is a victim of both Othello’s jealousy (the ‘green-eyed monster’) and Iago’s malevolence. HoweverRead MoreOthello is Not a Tragic Hero Essay1481 Words   |  6 PagesOthello has been described as one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays because the play focuses on its themes of good and evil, military, politics, love and marriage, religion, racial prejudice, gender conflict, and sexuality; but the controversy and debate surrounding Othello is â€Å"Why is Othello a qualification for a tragedy?† Most readers are aware of the many famous deaths or acts of death within the Shakespearean plays. And when the main characters die in Shakespeare’s plays, indeedRead MoreOedipus The King And The Moor Of Venice1294 Words   |  6 PagesOedipus the King was written by Sophocles in 430 B.C, and Othello, the Moor of Venice was written by William Shakespeare in 1604. Both stories involve tragedies that occur to the protagonists. Tragedy’s definition, â€Å". . . presents courageous individuals who confront powerful forces within or outside themselves with a dignity that reveals the breadth and depth of the human spirit in the face of failure, defeat, and even death† (Meyer 1091). Sophocles’ play informs us, the protagonists arrogances and