His soliloquies serve as a vector to inform the audience of his intentions however his victims are unaware of his on-going manipulation.

” Because of this, it could be argued that Othello is too trusting of Iago and should have been more vigilant however, although the protagonist may hold a propensity towards jealousy, the ensign is immensely plausible and cunning and therefore there was no justifiable reason to distrust ‘noble Iago ‘.Iago is also a primary source of situational and dramatic irony. His lack of promotion to lieutenant leads him to declare: “… be judge yourself, Whether I in any just term am affin’d To love the Moor. From the offset, we learn that Iago is envious of Othello and sets out to destroy the life he has made for himself.At the start of the play, Iago makes very clear to Roderigo the apparent cause for his hatred of the general. It is then that we become aware of Othello’s relationship with Iago. Throughout the duration of the play, Othello’s relationships with key characters are unveiled. This is a justified point however it only contributes as evidence to prove the case that Othello is not a tragic hero, he is merely weak. R Bradley perceives Othello’s jealousy as being ‘credible’ because of the newness of his marriage and the insecurities troubling Othello. By contrast, Othello’s downfall is caused by his jealousy this makes him less of a tragic hero in comparison to Macbeth, who falls from a high stature with noble reasoning. He commits the murder because of his fatal flaw excessive ambition. Macbeth’s demise commences when he murders King Duncan purely to satisfy his own ego and fantasy of becoming king. The play Macbeth is an excellent work that closely follows Aristotle’s norms.Macbeth is a brave warrior in King Duncan’s Army who compromises his honour and neglects his moral responsibilities in the attainment of power and position which inevitably results in his tragic end. Both Macbeth and Othello are prominent Jacobean tragedies that William Shakespeare created with notable tragic protagonists.

This particular scene disproves Bradley’s theory that Othello is “the most romantic figure among Shakespeare’s heroes”. Unlike Othello, Lodovico is a true gentleman and his quote “This would not be believed in Venice! ” emphasises the monstrosity of Othello’s action. The physical striking of Desdemona was not staged until the late 19th century by the actor Tommaso Salvini.The striking of Desdemona would have evoked strong feelings from a Jacobean audience. When she says she is “glad” that Othello has been ordered to Venice and that Cassio will be in charge of Cyprus, he can’t take anymore. The quote exposes Othello as being unworthy of his noble title and reputation of being trustworthy and moral, both domestically and in profession as a soldier.Striking a woman-even in the modern society- is attached with weakness and cowardice so for Othello to publically humiliate and harm Desdemona, drastically lessens his argument of being a tragic hero and makes him somewhat ignoble.ĭesdemona’s innocent references to Cassio goad Othello until he snaps and strikes her. However, in contrast, the final scene shows Othello to be one of Shakespeare’s most ignoble, odious protagonists. For Othello to live in a predominantly white Venetian society, requires a certain amount of bravery which in a sense partially fulfils the criteria required to be considered as noble. His prestigious role as a General-to an extent-proves his nobility to the audience. To some, Othello lacks nobility and portrays a number of actions to justify this. If you were to judge Othello’s character on the basis of this definition then it would be unfair to suggest that his nobility can support his claim to be a tragic hero. Nobility can be defined as a person who possesses excellent qualities of mind and character and who is not mean or petty. It is only when the six basic ideas are considered, can a hero be justly regarded as ‘tragic’.

We Will Write a Custom Essay about Is Othello a Tragic Hero? Essayįor Othello, this has led to the commonplace assertion that his fall is because he was too naive and trusting in his subordinate, Iago.Although, metaphorically speaking he does fall from a great height, it would be wrong to suggest that because Othello satisfies one of the Aristotelian criteria, it makes him a tragic hero.

Othello rules