Role Of The Tragic Hero In Shakespeare's Othello

Tragedy is defined as a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character. The tragic flaw is inborn to the main character and manifests itself throughout the play. The tragic hero must be noble and poses a higher authoritative position than most common man, yet has a tragic flaw, which is a major contribution to the hero’s downfall, known as hamartia. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is a tragic hero, which flaw was jealousy. The seed of jealousy and self-doubt was planted in Othello’s heart causing flared suspension and rushed into assumptions and actions that could have been avoided by calm common sense.
Othello is a nobleman and a general in Cyprus. His skills …show more content…
Desdemona gave in and marries him secretly. By doing so, Desdemona not only defies her father’s expectations of marrying a wealthy white man, but she also challenge the codes of society that largely disapproves of interracial marriages. Not being able to separate the two, Desdemona’s father shames his daughter for this “inhuman” act. Illustrating that clearly there was racial tension within the characters of the play. Characters such as Iago and Brabantio use racist slurs when describing Othello. When Iago went to Brabantio with the news of his daughter’s affair with Othello, Iago says an "old black ram" (Othello) is "tupping" (sleeping with) Brabantio 's "white ewe" (Desdemona), he plays on Elizabethan notions that black men have an animal-like, hyper-sexuality. Making Brabantio angry. Its also important to know that although Othello was a Christian and a honorable man, Iago and other characters call him “the devil” playing a racist sixteen century idea that man of color had no “soul” and often took the shape and form of a black man. In the book The Discovery of Witchcraft by Reginald Scott, the character of "Bodin alloweth the divell the shape of a black Moore, and as he saith, he used to appear to Mawd Cruse, Kate Darey, and Jon Harviller.” Illustrating that this was a command, racist idea of the time. Later on is no surprise that brabantio will accuse Othello of using black …show more content…
A wise man brainwashed by his rights’ hand man without knowing his true intensions. He is so filled with jealousy that he does not listen to characters like Emilia who reputedly told Othello; Desdemona was righteous and faithful to her husband. Othello knew deep down in his heart that Desdemona was not capable of doing such cruelty to him. He loved her as much as she loved him, but constant brainwashing lead to Othello killing Desdemona because of the supposedly betrayal, must of all leading to his own downfall and death. This is exactly what Shakespeare wanted to prove, that there’s a thin line between love and hate and admiration can turn into