Othello as an Aristotelian Tragic Hero: A Close Analysis
This essay argues that Shakespeare's Othello qualifies as a tragic hero according to Aristotle's criteria as outlined in the Poetics. Drawing on Aristotle's four conditions — superiority to the average man, nobility or manly valor, believability, and consistency of character — the paper examines how Othello satisfies each requirement. The essay also demonstrates that the play itself meets Aristotle's definition of tragedy by producing pity and fear in the audience and achieving catharsis. Key moments in the drama, including Othello's speech before the Venetian Senate, his manipulation by Iago, and his final soliloquy, are analyzed to support the argument that Othello's fall is both consistent and devastating in the manner Aristotle prescribed.
- Introduction: Aristotle's Framework for Tragedy: Defines Aristotle's tragedy and tragic hero criteria
- Othello's Greatness and Superior Stature: Othello established as superior, exceptional man
- Nobility and Manly Valor: Othello's valor in battle and before Senate
- Believability and Truth to Life: Othello's realism and human vulnerability to jealousy
- Consistency of Character and the Tragic Fall: Othello's descent remains consistent with his character
- Pity, Fear, and Catharsis in the Audience: Play achieves catharsis through Othello's tragic end
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What makes this paper effective
- The thesis is structured around a clear four-part checklist drawn directly from Aristotle's Poetics, giving the essay a disciplined organizational logic that is easy to follow and evaluate.
- The paper integrates secondary scholarship — Bates, Golden, and Schaper — alongside primary textual evidence, grounding literary interpretation in academic authority.
- Specific quotations from the play, with act, scene, and line numbers, are used to support each analytical claim rather than relying on plot summary alone.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The essay demonstrates criterion-based literary analysis: it establishes a theoretical framework (Aristotle's conditions) at the outset and then systematically tests the literary text against each criterion. This technique is particularly effective in literary criticism because it shows both close reading and engagement with critical theory simultaneously.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by defining Aristotle's terms, then presents the thesis. The body moves through each of the four heroic conditions in separate paragraphs before turning to the play's overall tragic effect — pity, fear, and catharsis. The conclusion restates the thesis and broadens its implications to the audience's moral experience. The structure mirrors the logical sequence of the argument, making it easy to trace each claim back to the opening framework.
Introduction: Aristotle's Framework for Tragedy
Aristotle defined tragedy as "the imitation in dramatic form of an action that is serious and complete, with incidents arousing pity and fear with which it effects a catharsis of such emotions" (Johnson & Arp, 2018, p. 1251). His conditions for a character to be a tragic hero, moreover, were the following: 1) the character must be superior to the average, common man in terms of merit and worth to the community so that his tragic fall is all the more impactful; 2) the character must possess nobility or "manly valor" as Aristotle called it; 3) he must be believable — that is, authentic and true to life; and 4) he must not be inconsistent in terms of character, though a character, even a hero, can be consistently inconsistent (Aristotle, 1970, p. 43). Shakespeare's Othello conforms to the conditions established by Aristotle in his Poetics, and the play itself qualifies as an Aristotelian tragedy because it provides a dramatic imitation of an action on the stage that is serious and whole and that produces pity and fear so as to effect catharsis — or the purifying of the emotions, as Schaper (1968) calls it.
This paper will show that Othello fits Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero because he meets all four of the philosopher's conditions: 1) he is great, 2) he demonstrates nobility or manly valor, 3) his character is authentic and true to real life, and 4) he is consistent. It will also show that the play fits Aristotle's definition of a tragedy as it effects pity and fear in the audience and produces catharsis.
Othello's Greatness and Superior Stature
From the beginning of the play, Othello is recognized as a superior man, far above the stature of all others. His greatness rouses jealousy and hatred in the evil Iago, who vows to bring down the Moor. His greatness is acknowledged by the Senators who depend on Othello's arm to defend the city-state from the enemy. Even after Desdemona and he elope in spite of her father's likely disapproval, Othello is able to persuade the Senate through his masterful eloquence and force of argument of his goodness of intention. Bates (2007) states that Othello's speech is "capable of mesmerizing the hardened heads of the Venetian Senate" (p. 190) — another indication that he is no ordinary commoner but is rather possessed of many gifts and high qualities.
Moreover, Othello is not even Venetian — he is a Moor: he is black and the people he protects are white. He is so unlike them in every respect that he is almost like a real-life Superman in their midst. Of course, he is still a human, with human flaws, which Iago will exploit to bring the hero down. But Shakespeare firmly establishes Othello's greatness at the outset.
Nobility and Manly Valor
Shakespeare also clearly establishes Othello's manly valor. This valor is on display when he defends himself and his wife against the accusations leveled before them at the Senate, where he has been accused of stealing Desdemona away. His valor is what attracts Desdemona to him in the first place. She is attracted by his stories of fighting and asks him to tell them to her again and again — and that is how he woos her. His valor is then demonstrated in action, as he is sent by the Senate to defend the city-state from an impending attack. He does not shrink from his duty but rather embraces it. His reputation is such that he is recognized by one and all as the most valiant man in Venice — the protector of the city-state, the man called upon in the hour of need.
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