Aristotelian Standards Of Tragedy In Shakespeare's Othello

In 1604, English playwright and poet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) debuted Othello, a tragedy following the marriage between a Moorish black general, Othello, and an aristocratic Venetian woman, Desdemona. Their matrimony is threatened by Othello’s trusted ensign, Iago, who harbors a resentment towards the Moor and plants suspicion in Othello’s mind that his wife is unfaithful. Like other playwrights of his time, Shakespeare structured his work after ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle’s (384-322 B.C.) Poetics, the first book of Western literary criticism. In it, Aristotle discusses the characteristics of a tragic hero and the four elements of a tragedy: hamartia, peripety, anagnorisis, and catastrophe. In this paper, I analyze how Shakespeare implemented the Aristotelian standards of tragedy in Othello. Elaborating on the traits of a tragic hero, Aristotle writes that the necessary characteristics are: be a sympathetic character, realistic enough to be relevant to audiences, singular in purpose, and his behavior must fit his station in life. To sympathize with Othello, it is imperative that he is noble. Even Iago, who despises him, acknowledges his virtuousness, “The Moor, howbeit that I endure him not, …show more content…
Acknowledging his flaw, Iago comments, “The Moor is of a free and open nature that thinks men honest that but seem to be so” (Act I, Sc.iii, Line 442-443). Having built a brotherly bond through military experiences, Othello believes Iago to be well-intentioned, bearing no malevolent agenda, and regularly confides his troubles to his ensign. Iago exploits his trust and nourishes him with false information that fuels his rage and jealousy, ultimately contributing to his downfall and the death of someone who is truly loyal to him,