Describe How Shakespeare Presents Othello in the Play
- Submitted by: RuRuPenny
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- Category: English: Plays
- Date Submitted: 01/06/2012 04:39 AM
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In act 4 and 5, despite his misery, it is difficult for the audience to sympathies with Othello, or see him as a tragic hero. How far do you agree with this view on how Shakespeare presents Othello in the play?
Ruby Pinder
Othello is a play of tragedy and although audiences may not see him as tragic hero, I believe that they are condemned to feel some sympathy towards him at the end of the play. He is presented as a man with strong morals, a cool head and natural authority, to a man who loses all control of himself and power over others through twisted words of manipulation.
A tragic hero is a person who is initially respected by the other characters in the play, as well as the audience and holds a high social status within the plays society. They are also appear to have natural high morals and become highly ambitious once they have a set goal. However a single flaw or mistake of their own can bring this all to ruin, with a loss of everything they have, which is what makes them tragic and over all the play a tragedy and we as the audience would naturally feel some sympathy for them.
The character Othello is one to be challenged whether he is a tragic hero or just a main character in the play and what happens in the play makes it an over all tragedy. In the argument of whether Othello is actually a tragic hero, the following must be taking into consideration; firstly whether Othello fits with the mould of the classic “tragic hero”. Aristotle said there are four key elements when defining a tragic hero, one; the hero is of a noble birth, two; the characters on tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall (Hamartia), three; there is a reversal of fortune from the hero’s flaw, four; his actions lead to an increase of awareness in his flaw and finally; the audience must feel pity and fear for the character towards the end of the play.
We must first look at the characters position at the start of the play, the way he was viewed by not only other...
Ruby Pinder
Othello is a play of tragedy and although audiences may not see him as tragic hero, I believe that they are condemned to feel some sympathy towards him at the end of the play. He is presented as a man with strong morals, a cool head and natural authority, to a man who loses all control of himself and power over others through twisted words of manipulation.
A tragic hero is a person who is initially respected by the other characters in the play, as well as the audience and holds a high social status within the plays society. They are also appear to have natural high morals and become highly ambitious once they have a set goal. However a single flaw or mistake of their own can bring this all to ruin, with a loss of everything they have, which is what makes them tragic and over all the play a tragedy and we as the audience would naturally feel some sympathy for them.
The character Othello is one to be challenged whether he is a tragic hero or just a main character in the play and what happens in the play makes it an over all tragedy. In the argument of whether Othello is actually a tragic hero, the following must be taking into consideration; firstly whether Othello fits with the mould of the classic “tragic hero”. Aristotle said there are four key elements when defining a tragic hero, one; the hero is of a noble birth, two; the characters on tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall (Hamartia), three; there is a reversal of fortune from the hero’s flaw, four; his actions lead to an increase of awareness in his flaw and finally; the audience must feel pity and fear for the character towards the end of the play.
We must first look at the characters position at the start of the play, the way he was viewed by not only other...