Othello- TRAGIC HERO

In the final scenes of the play, Othello is presented as an ambiguous character that is analysed differently by different critics, but still, follows the conventions of classical tragic heroes. Aristotle defined a tragic hero as “a man not pre-eminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune, however, is brought upon him not by vice (…) but by some error of judgement.” Despite the unfairness and unforgivable magnitude of Othello´s error of judgment, he inspires a great sense of pathos as he succumbs to the machinations of Iago´s diabolic intellect. At the start, Shakespeare establishes Othello at the height of his fortunes as `the noble general ´ and throughout the course of the play, he suffers a reversal of fortune or peripeteia from good to bad. The state of misery to which he is reduced in the final scenes heightens his portrayal as a tragic figure. Aristotle stated `a tragic hero must be someone who inspires pity and fear´ and in final Act 5, scene 2, both Desdemona and Othello conform to this as a tragic couple, spurring feelings of sympathy and sorrow.

Some consider Othello is presented as a tragic hero with `very little of hero´. The audience´s perception of Othello´s nobility is diminished by his impatient readiness to respond to suggestion and his rash conclusions. In final Act 5 scene 2 before killing Desdemona he repeats `she must die, it is the cause ´ blinding himself to consciousness and convincing himself that he is acting as an agent of justice.  Desdemona claims ` bloody passion shakes your very frame´ and Emilia, speaks out at him saying; `Thou art rash as fire´ in order to criticize his devilish, impulsive behavior. In contrast to Desdemona´s sweetness and calm, patient love, Othello is portrayed as violently passionate and intransigent. Desdemona wakes up `sweetly´ and Othello asks her if she had prayed, showing apparent mercy by worrying for her soul but a horrifying cruelty at the same time for he is about to kill her. He foreshadows her imminent death by comparing her skin to be`smooth as monumental alabaster´. At this point, Shakespeare creates unease in the audience through a scary fusion of both cruelty and romance within Othello´s character; `I that am cruel am yet merciful´.

Othello´s character was not only led into mental chaos because of `promptness to suggestion´ but also in great part due to the pressures of a misogynistic value system. Barbantio firmly suggested `She has deceived her father and may deceive thee´ and Venetian women carried a reputation of adultery. In the final scenes, Othello´s heroic confidence shatters and he becomes a completely confused, insecure tragic hero; `I must kill her else she´ll betray more men´. This moment seems extremely tragic, as the audience know through dramatic irony that Desdemona is admirably innocent.

Leavis suggested Iago´s power actually represents something within Othello; `the traitor within the gates´. A real `hero´ would never kill a lady. Nevertheless, Shakespeare most probably chose to include the Machiavellian villain Iago following a very traditional characteristic of Jacobean drama to characterize external evil - a “demi-devil” whom tragically `poisons´ and corrupts the mind and soul of a great soldier, thus turning his overpowering love to overwhelming jealousy. Othello is exposed as a vulnerable, chaotic tragic figure that has foolishly `been led by the nose as asses are´ in contrast to the solid man of action portrayed at the beginning. The fact that Othello couldn´t question his “friend´s” honesty could emphasise his nobility and free, open nature.

Critic Leavis argued Othello may love Desdemona as a `matter of sensual possessiveness´. The final scenes seem to unfold a futile love, very largely based on ignorance of himself and her and “Eros”. Before being killed, Desdemona says truthfully; `That death's unnatural that kills for loving´, and at this point, the audience may see Othello as an anti-heroic, psychopathic character who is about to sacrifice an innocent.

On the other hand, critic Bradley sees a nearly blameless view of Othello as a noble tragic hero. He argued Othello did love Desdemona powerfully and that the newness of his marriage made his jealousy credible. In Othello´s final soliloquy (Act 5 scenes 2), he spends long time in anguish and deliberation before killing Desdemona. Act 5 scene 2 slows down in pace contrasting with the agitation of the previous act to emphasise it´s sentimental importance, and Othello enters with a light. This candle light symbolises Desdemona´s fragile flame of life and her aura of innocence and purity illuminating his darkness of thoughts. Being the only light glowing, it is shown that at this moment he is truly inspired by the love he has for her. Othello poetically repeats `Put out the light´ to symbolise her death.

The play is written in blank verse and prose. It is when Othello begins to see Desdemona through Iago´s eyes, in a neurotic- obsessive-paranoid mental pattern, that his mind and soul corrupts and the mellifluence and harmony of words degrade into disjointed, vulgar prose or even insults; `Down strumpet! ´-where he immediately places Desdemona in submissive position in accordance with the male chauvinist context. 
In his soliloquy the language returns to blank verse as a return to the nobility and romance we associate with tragic protagonists. He uses gentle metaphors; `When I have pluck'd the rose´ to avoid the harshness of what killing her would imply. This behavior could be interpreted as coward and stubborn, or as a poignant, pitiful culmination as a tragic hero, were his heart can no longer bear the pain and anguish that his passionate jealousy is causing him.

His love and idealism of Desdemona is expressed through romantic similes of her such as; `scar that whiter skin of hers than snow´. Shakespeare encourages the audience to sympathise with the tragic hero´s internal battle and grief as Desdemona´s allure has the power to drive him insane. The tragedy is heightened as he stands at the edge of withdrawing; `Balmy breath, that dost almost persuade justice break her sword!´.  The agony of his doubting becomes romantically painful `so sweet was ne ér so fatal´, as he suffers contradictory feelings. The use of oxymoron expresses his maddening sorrow and ideas; `This sorrow´s heavenly, it strikes where it doth love.´

In Othello´s final speech, he could be seen as a `self dramatising fool´ that only cares for his reputation who undergoes no true anagnorisis ;  Ì have done the state some service´. However, he does seem to realise the load of what he´s done, feeling strong remorse. Othello’s idiom becomes measured, dignified and in blank verse re-establishing his heroism.  `Speak of me as i am, nothing extenuate´ shows submission in contrast with the excessive pride and over confidence he owned at the beginning.  He compares himself to a `base Indian´ and a `circumcised dog who threw a pearl away´ to show his inferiority complex and racial insecurities. The poetic language heightens how he loved her and how he struggles to face reality.

Lodovico comes in and announces that Cassio rules in Cyprus, meaning the disarming of Othello and there is nothing more denigrating for a general. As a tragic hero he loses everything and realises he was a fool that cared for `But ever puny whipster gets my sword:  But why should honour outlive honesty?´

and begs for torture to carry justice upon him; “ Whip me, ye devils, wash me in...Liquid fire” . His cry is painful; “O Desdemon! Dead, Desdemon!” and he grieves until he decides to kill himself “upon a kiss”. This is a major characteristic of a tragic hero, one who realises his huge mistakes when it is already too late.

Lodovico acts like the chorus in Greek, classical tragedy and asks “Where is this most rash and unfortunate man?”. Othello blames Iago for ensnaring In his final speech he regains nobility and he humbly tries to save his reputation.

The interpretation of Othello´s death by the Elizabethan audience most probably was seen as an act of cowardice and would have been extremely shocking as for the firmly Christian society suicide meant damnation. The Racial tension in Othello (with a good dose of sexual jealousy) plays no small part in the characterization of Othello. In the historical context of Elizabethan audience, `a black moor´ would have already raised prejudices against his nobility as a tragic hero.

CONC: Shakespeare creates a lgtragic hero, driven by impulse and passion, who is good in the military but a disaster for love. Being so complicated, romantic and vulnerable to jealousy make the tragedy more dramatic. ` Shakespeare exaggerated the degree to which he possesses these fatal flaws to be much greater than his fellow men just as he is in status an extraordinary person. The effect of this is that the tragic universe of the play is a moral one `O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-ey'd monster´.Othello as a compressed example to express how evil from the most unexpected, can act upon a noble man together with fatal flaws such as jealousy, destroying all.