Macbeth and Othello

Macbeth and Othello
A feature which popularly followed Shakespeare’s plays was the tragic hero character. This character was defined by Aristotle, as the great and virtuous protagonist in a tragic drama that is destined for downfall due to their tragic flaw evoking the pitiful feelings of the audience. In two of Shakespeare’s most renowned plays – ‘Othello and ‘Macbeth’ – Shakespeare uses juxtaposition within the speech of the characters and in a wider sense between the character’s personalities at different stages to present the conflicts being experienced by the protagonists as well as provoking feelings of sympathy from the audience to create a tragic-hero. However Othello is a much stronger example of a tragic hero as Shakespeare allows us to witness his downfall more slowly whereas in Macbeth, he is lead astray right from the beginning and could be said to be more of an anti-hero rather than a tragic hero.
Both Macbeth and Othello are lead astray by evil forces which takeover their intrinsic feelings and emotions and replace them with jealousy and ambition. Shakespeare uses juxtaposition between good and evil to highlight the evil forces in the play and further increase the pity and sympathy the audience feels for the characters. In the case of Othello, Iago – a jealous soldier in Othello’s army who feels he should have been given the rank of lieutenant – is the main cause of Othello’s downfall. Iago ruthless manipulation of Othello’s trustworthy nature makes him a metaphor for evil and this is evident in Act 2 Scene 3 when Iago says: “Divinity of Hell” while referring to helping Cassio get his job back. The phrase “divinity of hell” is a paradox and it encompasses Iago’s evil mind. Divinity is linked to good and heaven and by Iago saying that there is divinity in hell he is suggesting that he is a devil with a divine or heavenly outward appearance. This is further established as we know that Iago does not want to help Cassio but only involve him in his...