Othello as Aristotle's Tragic Hero: Hamartia and Free Will
This essay argues that Shakespeare's Othello fulfills Aristotle's definition of the tragic hero through a combination of hamartia, free will, and catharsis. Drawing on Aristotelian tragedy, the paper examines how Othello's three principal flaws—misplaced trust, possessive jealousy, and stubborn pride—are systematically exploited by Iago, whose psychological manipulation drives Othello to murder Desdemona. The essay further contends that Othello's downfall is self-inflicted: because no supernatural force compels his actions, he bears full moral responsibility for his choices. The analysis concludes by tracing how the play's resolution, including Iago's capture and Othello's suicide, produces the cathartic effect central to Aristotelian tragedy.
- Introduction: Othello and the Aristotelian Tragic Hero: Othello meets Aristotle's tragic hero definition
- Misplaced Trust and Iago's Manipulation: Iago exploits Othello's trusting, open nature
- Jealousy and Possessiveness Toward Desdemona: Othello's possessive jealousy enables Iago's deception
- Free Will and the Absence of Supernatural Intervention: Othello's choices are freely made, not compelled
- The Collapse of Communication and Desdemona's Silence: Poor communication seals Desdemona's tragic fate
- Catharsis and the Resolution of Justice: Iago's downfall and Othello's suicide produce catharsis
- Conclusion: Othello's Self-Inflicted Tragedy: Othello bears sole responsibility for his downfall
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its literary analysis in a clear theoretical framework—Aristotle's definition of the tragic hero—and consistently measures Othello against each criterion, giving the argument structural coherence.
- Primary textual evidence is woven throughout: direct quotations from the play are cited with act, scene, and line numbers, and each quotation is analyzed rather than simply dropped in.
- Secondary scholarship (Arthos, Boas, Brown) is integrated to support and extend the argument, demonstrating engagement with critical tradition rather than relying solely on the primary text.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper exemplifies criterion-based literary analysis: it establishes an external analytical standard (Aristotle's tragic hero framework) and then tests the literary subject against each criterion in turn—hamartia, free will, and catharsis. This approach produces a disciplined, point-by-point argument rather than a general character study, making the thesis both falsifiable and persuasive.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with an introduction that defines the Aristotelian tragic hero and states the thesis. It then moves through three analytical sections devoted to Othello's distinct tragic flaws (misplaced trust, jealousy, free will/communication failure), before addressing catharsis and closing with a conclusion that ties the argument back to personal responsibility. The outline-style notes that precede the prose serve as a visible scaffolding for this progression.
Introduction: Othello and the Aristotelian Tragic Hero
William Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice follows Othello's fall from a position of honor and respect at the hands of Iago, his trusted ancient, who seeks to exact unwarranted revenge on his leader for a promotion he believes he was entitled to. Although it would appear more logical to attack the system that allowed Iago to be passed over for promotion, Iago attacks Othello because he hates him and is jealous of his position and the opportunities afforded to Othello despite his race and background. While Othello is not Greek and Shakespeare is not a Greek playwright, Othello embodies many characteristics of a tragic hero as outlined by Aristotle.
Aristotle defined a tragic hero as a noble "person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor one who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation" (Brown, 2005). In Othello's case, he is manipulated by Iago into acting out against his wife, Desdemona, not because she has done anything wrong, but rather because Iago knows, "The Moor is of a free and open nature, / That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, / And will as tenderly be led by the nose / As asses are" (Shakespeare, 1603, 1.3.756–59). Furthermore, the tragic hero's fall results from "free choice, not of accident or villainy or some overriding, malignant fate" (Aristotle, n.d.). A tragic hero's fall is often facilitated through a tragic flaw—what Aristotle called hamartia—or through divine intervention. In Othello, however, Othello's actions are not forced by any external or supernatural force; his decisions are made freely, if not wisely. Iago exploits Othello's tragic flaws—jealousy, stubbornness, and misplaced trust—to engineer his downfall. John Arthos (1958) argues that "the faults of honor are, of course, the faults of pride in part" (p. 98). It can therefore be argued that Othello's pride prevents him from communicating openly with those around him, particularly Desdemona, and thus prevents him from uncovering the truth behind Iago's baseless accusations.
Misplaced Trust and Iago's Manipulation
Othello is easily victimized by Iago because he cannot conceive that the trusted men around him could ever be deceitful. Iago perceives Othello's trusting nature as a weakness, and after his initial plan—having Othello persecuted by Brabantio for allegedly bewitching and marrying Desdemona—backfires, he launches a psychological assault on Othello from every possible angle: through Othello's wife and through his friend Michael Cassio, who has also been promoted to a high-ranking position that Iago believes should have been awarded to him. Iago concedes that Cassio has the education to justify the promotion, yet contends that his own battlefield experience outweighs Cassio's book knowledge.
One of Othello's fatal flaws is his inability to distinguish between those he can trust and those he cannot. At the play's opening, Othello has no reason to doubt Iago and perceives him as a loyal ensign; the two have fought side-by-side on many occasions. This shared history makes Othello's trust in Iago unwavering throughout the play, and it is precisely that trust which enables Iago's manipulations. Desdemona, by contrast, has not had the same opportunity to prove herself to Othello as a battlefield companion, yet she should be trusted because she is his wife and has his best interests at heart. She loves him "for the dangers [he] had pass'd, / And [he] loved her that she did pity them" (Shakespeare, 1603, 1.3.512–13). Othello's love for Desdemona, however, borders on obsessive and possessive: he is unsettled when she is away from him and sometimes places her life at risk by bringing her onto the battlefield, treating her more like a prized object than a partner. Iago recognizes this dynamic and weaponizes it against both of them.
Jealousy and Possessiveness Toward Desdemona
Othello's secondary flaw is his possessive attitude toward Desdemona. Though not strictly an intellectual failing, it is a profound emotional one. Iago successfully convinces Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful—that she has carried on an adulterous affair with Michael Cassio, whom Iago also despises because Cassio received the lieutenancy without any combat experience. Once Iago plants the seed of doubt in Othello's mind, Othello's attitude toward his wife is irrevocably altered.
A telling example occurs when Desdemona attempts to ease her husband's headache and he snaps, "Your napkin is too little: Let it alone," startling her and causing her to drop the handkerchief—the object Othello later claims is enchanted and a symbol of her fidelity or infidelity (Shakespeare, 1603, 3.3.1952; 3.3.1954). This small domestic moment captures the corrosive effect of Iago's influence: Othello's jealousy has already begun to distort his perception of his wife's most innocent gestures. His treatment of Desdemona as a possession rather than a person leaves her with no standing to rebut the charges mounting against her, and the tragedy of Othello pivots on this fatal asymmetry of trust.
Conclusion: Othello's Self-Inflicted Tragedy
In spite of the constant conflict Othello faced throughout his career, he was too blind and arrogant to consider that his enemies were not only located on the field of battle, but also resided among his own men. It is his inability to recognize the danger lurking within his own environment that led him down such a tragic path. Moreover, Othello has no one to blame but himself: despite Iago's manipulations and insinuations, Iago never forced Othello's hand. Ultimately, Othello should have recognized that he was the victim of a strategic psychological attack—much as the enemies he faced on the battlefield were victims of his own carefully planned assaults.
Iago essentially waged war on Othello through psychology, proving in the most destructive manner possible that he possessed the cunning to deserve a position of command—even as that very cunning destroyed everyone around him, including himself. Othello's tragedy, then, is not one of fate or divine punishment, but of self-inflicted blindness: a great man who could read every battlefield but could not read the room.
Works Cited
Aristotle. (n.d.). Virginia Community College System. Accessed 7 October 2012, from http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/tragedy/aristotle.htm.
Arthos, John. (1958). The Fall of Othello. Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 93–104.
Boas, George. (1955). The evolution of the tragic hero. The Carleton Drama Review, Vol. 1, No. 1, Greek Tragedy, pp. 5–21.
Brown, Larry A. (2005, January). Aristotle on Greek Tragedy. Accessed 7 October 2012, from http://larryavisbrown.homestead.com/aristotle_tragedy.html.
Shakespeare, William. (1603). Othello, the Moor of Venice. Open Source Shakespeare. Accessed 7 October 2012, from http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/playmenu.php?WorkID=othello.
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