This paper examines Shakespeare's Othello through the lens of Aristotle's theory of tragedy, arguing that Othello qualifies as a classical tragic hero. Drawing on Aristotle's Poetics, the paper analyzes four key qualities—goodness, moral appropriateness, truth to life, and consistency—and demonstrates how Othello embodies each. It traces his rise as a celebrated, virtuous general and his catastrophic fall through jealousy and manipulation by Iago, showing how this arc produces the pity and fear that Aristotle identifies as the hallmarks of effective tragedy. The paper also draws comparisons to Sophocles' Oedipus to illuminate the broader tradition of tragic heroism.
Aristotle defines tragedy as "an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament…; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions" (Aristotle, 1970, p. 43). The main points of the definition are found here: tragedy should be cathartic and should be a complete representation of a serious action. Moreover, Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero requires that he be better than the average man, so that his fall is all the more dramatic and moving. For a character to qualify as a tragic hero, he must be good, conforming and appropriate to the moral standards of his times, true to life, and consistent. With this in mind, it is fair to say that Othello certainly stands out as a work of tragedy and the title character as a tragic hero. This paper discusses why Othello may be classified as a tragic hero and how the play conforms to the model of Aristotelian tragedy.
Firstly, Othello is beyond good: he is great. He is envied by Iago, loved by his loyal soldiers, deeply loved by his wife, and lauded by the senators of Venice. Othello is described favorably by the men of Venice, as he has valiantly defended their city against the Turks. He has earned the respect of the senate, and his language is "embellished" and artistically ornamented, as Aristotle notes a good tragedy's language should be. His defense of himself before the outraged father of Desdemona is nothing short of brilliant: indeed, as Bates (2007) notes, Othello's words are "capable of mesmerizing the hardened heads of the Venetian Senate" (p. 190).
Like Oedipus, Othello is also an outsider — a Moor who has converted to the religion of the people he defends. While they are thoroughly civilized, he is more at home on the battlefield. He is a warrior, not a head of state; his skill lies in war, not in domesticity. This is partly what leads to his undoing: he wrongly brings domestic life to the battlefield by taking his new wife with him to war. The other element that leads to his downfall is his terrible jealousy. These are his fatal flaws — just as in Oedipus the fatal flaw was wrath. Nevertheless, aside from these failings, Othello is not only a good man but a great man, whose service to the state does not go unrecognized. It is precisely because Othello is so valiant, manly, and unlike the other Venetians that Desdemona has fallen in love with him.
Second, Othello is appropriately moral and has the "manly valor" that Aristotle speaks of (p. 43). He is called upon to save the city once more in the first act and dutifully accepts, even though he has had to defend his character at the midnight hour because of his elopement with Desdemona. Their elopement is understandable, however, because given his race as a Moor, it is unlikely that her father would ever have consented to their marriage. The two love each other genuinely: neither pressured the other into matrimony, and Othello only pursued Desdemona after she made it clear that she wanted him to do so — she essentially invited him to woo her with more of his extraordinary tales of battle, which no other man in Venice could have told. Beyond this, he had been invited by her father into the household as a man of good standing with Venice's top officials.
Othello is respected for his valor, his bearing, and his words, and he conforms in virtue to Christian standards, respecting the God of the Venetians and pledging faith to its doctrines. It is only after his fall — when he surrenders to jealousy — that he renounces his Christian faith and takes up a demonic creed: "Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell! / Yield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne / To tyrannous hate!" (3.3.507–509). Othello declares this while vowing to tear his wife "to pieces." This language, in stark contrast with the beautiful language of love, admiration, and respect at the play's opening, reveals the depth of his fall and forms the central action of the cathartic work. Once Othello comes to greater self-knowledge — as Oedipus does in Sophocles' play — the cathartic effect is most fully delivered. It is, after all, a tragedy "of the heart," as Boyce (1990, p. 474) notes.
"Othello's realistic humanity and insecurity"
"Othello's consistent flaws and final self-reckoning"
"How Othello's fall evokes pity and fear"
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