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Hemenway
The Tragedy of Pride: Othello and Oedipus
Tragedies most generally focus on a hero that has a tragic flaw or hamartia, which ultimately leads to his downfall. This flaw is something that is innate to the hero and can reflect his background. According to Aristotle, the tragic flaw is the most important part of the hero, and the events which lead up to the hero's downfall are a reflection of that flaw. With Shakespeare's Othello, and Sophocles Oedipus, the common flaw that both men share is their pride. Pride is linked with other powerful emotions, such as jealousy and selfishness, which only lead to a world of pain and loss when combined. Pride becomes the fertile ground in both Oedipus and Othello for the seeds of their destruction and ruin.
Even though these plays were written by men who were born 2000 years apart, the works are similar in...
Both were men of extraordinary accomplishments and each possessed the ability to be good leaders. The pride of each of these characters is to be a means to their downfall, but in different ways. Othello thought it necessary to kill his wife for not being loyal, and Oedipus for not letting the murderer of Laius go undiscovered.
In Shakespeare's Othello, Othello's pride prevents him from finding the truth, eventually leading to his demise. Initially, Othello and Desdemona are deeply in love, even though her father disapproves of their marriage. However, when Othello promotes Cassio instead of Iago to Lieutenant, Iago has his revenge by convincing Othello that Desdemona cheats on him with Cassio. Two things happen as a result of Othello's flaw: one is the fact that Othello's pride is closely linked to his…
Othello as Tragic Hero While Othello is not Greek and Shakespeare is not a Greek playwright, Othello embodies many characteristics of a tragic hero as outlined by Aristotle. What is a tragic hero? Person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor someone who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation. Othello is manipulated by Iago to murder Desdemona Iago uses Othello's trusting nature against him Hero
Othello: The Tragedy of Internalized Racism William Shakespeare's tragedy of the Moor Othello is the only major drama of the great playwright in which race plays a major role. The title character begins the play a great and esteemed general, despite the fact that he is a member of an 'othered,' despised race against which some whites have great prejudice. Othello's apparent nobleness, his military prowess, and his eloquence (despite his
Othello, The Moor of Venice There are a number of very specific literary conventions that a dramatic work must have to adhere to Aristotle's multi-faceted definition of a tragedy. One of the principle components of this definition is that a tragedy chronicles the downfall of a tragic hero. Tragic heroes are well-renowned individual with a wonderful set of virtues descended from decidedly noble lineages who are plagued by one (and only
Othello as Tragic Hero Othello, the Moor of Venice is a Shakespearean tragedy that focuses on the great war hero Othello and the lengths to which Iago goes to in order to strip Othello of his power. Iago's thirst for power commences when he is passed up for promotion and Michael Cassio is instead award the position of lieutenant. Although it would appear to be more logical that Iago target Cassio,
Othello and Death Knocks: Two Characters Who Do Not Know Themselves The definition of a tragic hero is a great man who is brought low by a single, yet fatal flaw within his character. Shakespeare's Othello can be said to have many flaws as well as virtues -- he is a great general, but he is also a poor judge of character, extremely credulous, and jealous. But all of these flaws
Othello and Justice Like many of Shakespeare's plays, Othello demonstrates how emotion and a strict personal ethic can lead to tragedy. The play is filled with intrigue, mainly on the part of Iago, another trait of Shakespeare's plays, and the characters seem to twist around their own insecurities. Linking this play to a central theme is difficult because there are so many threads that could be taken as the primary driver