William Shakespeares Othello Argumentative Essay Example For Students

William Shakespeares Othello Argumentative Essay William Shakespeares OthelloTragedies frequently focus on a tragic hero that has a flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall. That flaw is commonly referred to as a tragic flaw that is inborn to the person and can reflect his background. In Aristotles Poetics, he discusses the theory of tragedy and what criteria is essential in an ideal tragedy. According to Aristotle, the tragic flaw is the most important part of the hero and the events that occur in the work is a reflection of that flaw. A tragic flaw is essential in a true tragedy. In William Shakespeares Othello, Othello is a prime example of an Aristotelian tragic hero. His gullibility and jealousy are the main reason of his downfall. Othello deals with love lost because of gullibility and jealousy. Aristotles theory of tragedy, found in the Poetics, deals with the characteristics of plays that make them a true tragedy. Those characteristics are essential in giving a play its true definition. According to Aristotle, the life and soul of tragedy is plot. Incidents in the plot have the best effect if they occur unexpectedly, and in consequence of one another. A great tragedy grips the audience with the plot. Aristotle also states that the sense of the inevitable must be present in tragedy. The tragic hero is also another important factor in an Aristotelian tragedy. The central character must be noble and have a higher stature than most men. The tragic hero must also have better qualities than secondary characters but must also exhibit flaws. The most important part of an Aristotelian tragic hero is the tragic flaw. The flaw is inborn to the person. He must have that flaw throughout his life and it will play the primary role in his downfall. The flaw can also reflect the tragic heros background. Another part of the central character is that he is destroyed by himself, not by others, bad luck, or depravity. These are the criteria necessary to be classified as a ideal tragedy. Othello meets the criteria to be called an Aristotelian tragedy. The main character of Othello is a classical example of a tragic hero. His basic elements matches him up to a true hero as defined by Aristotle. Othello was a soldier all his life. Due to his Moorish descent, he experienced many things that a normal Venetian didnt experience. His nobility and rank of a general made him of a higher stature than anyone else. His nobility and background made him a greatly respected person. That nobility also what attracted Desdemona, his wife. Othello also exhibited great leadership qualities that he earned in the field of battle and by being a leader in Venice. Othellos background also was of a unsophisticated one. He came from a land of bartering and barbarians. His background affected his attitude. Othello was a person that was innocent and base in nature. He was influenced by the way his life was going on. Othellos statement, Perdition catch my soul but I do love thee. And when I love thee not, chaos is come again. (act 3, sc. 3, line 100), showed that he felt his life was only in order if he is loved. His innocence and lack of sophistication is revealed in this statement. The people around him also knew of Othellos attitude. Iago was very quick to see this. In his first soliloquy, Iago said the moor is of a free and open nature that thinks men honest that but seem to be so. (1,3,442) Iago knew of Othellos weakness. Othellos innocence and baseness made him susceptible to being undermined by people. Iago also reveals his plan to use the moors gullibility against him. Othello was clearly a person who believed appearances versus reality. When Othello was told about an affair between Desdemona and Cassio, he started to become jealous. Being that person who believes appearances, he wanted ocular proof of Desdemonas infidelity. Even a superficial piece of evidence would have been sufficient. In his statement, Give me a living reason she is disloyal.(3,3,446), Othello revealed that he would believe in anything he saw. This is a clear example of his gullibility and that appearances could fool him. The Crucible8 Essay He lived for the love and care of a person. The way that he was turned to hatred was ironic. Even though Othello was Shakespeares most loving man, he was subjected and succumbed by the pull of Iago.(Stoll, 323) Iagos scheming inevitably caused Othellos turn for the worse. Othello had suffered an overpowering delusion.(Stoll, 325) The overpowering delusion that he suffers was due to his beliefs of an affair. His primal qualities led him to easily believe anything that was presented to him. Othellos false beliefs drove him into extreme anger and made him plot to kill his wife and lieutenant. The final stages of the play reveal the true gullibility of Othello to the other characters. Iago agreed to help kill Desdemona and Cassio. With Othello, they made a vow of brotherhood to kill his wife and his former lieutenant. When Othello finally did go through with his plan, the dying Desdemona reassured her faith to him. Othello believed Iago and his own false deductions instead of his own wife. Desdemona didnt realize Othellos flaws. In her statement, And but my noble moor is true of mind and made of no such baseness as jealous ones are, it were enough to put them to ill thinking.(3,4,25) she judged Othello opposite to what he really was. She didnt suspect that Othello would suspect her for an affair. In reality, Othello was a gullible person drawn into jealousy and falseness by Iago. Othello had accomplished his plan of killing his wife and destroying a marriage that no reason to be torn apart. Desdemona was the victim of a plot by a gullible man drove into rage because of lies. When Emilia confronted Othello, he admitted to killing his wife but said that she was untrue to him. Emilia repeatedly told Othello that it wasnt true. He responded to Emilia by saying, Ay, twas he that told me on her first. An honest man he is, and hates the slime that sticks on filthy deeds. (5,2,179) Othellos gullibility is also exhibited in this statement. He believed Iago and his lies because he thought that Iago was honest. Othello was drawn in by the appearance of Iago that was given to him. Iagos scheming was so powerful that Othello praised him for his honesty. Othello and Iago were finally caught and their plot was revealed. Iago didnt go through with his vow to kill Cassio. Othello told the officials his reasons for committing murder and that Iago told him of an affair. Iagos response was, Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth, I never will speak a word.(5,2,335) Iago told Othello and the others that he didnt tell Othello about an afar. He just made insinuations and suggestions about one. Othello really didnt know of an affair between Desdemona and Cassio. His gullibility led him to be overtaken with appearances. Othello didnt make any real attempt to find out the truth. He relied on Iago to provide a picture of what he thought happened. Because of Othellos mistake to seek the truth, his inevitable downfall became realized when he killed himself. Othellos tragic flaw was being gullible. His background of baseness made him a weak minded person. Iago was an evil man who wanted to see the downfall of Othello. He recognized Othellos flaw and used it to his benefit. Iagos scheme consisted of images and appearances of an affair, but not evidence of one. Othellos stature, and downfall make him a true tragic hero. His tragic flaw, gullibility, the defining criteria of a tragic hero, made Othello a man that he never thought he would be. Othello became a person filled with rage and hatred who wanted to resolve the chaos in his life by putting an end to the affair that he believed was going on. All the structures of Othellos character makes him a prime example for a Aristotelian tragic hero.Shakespeare Essays