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Ever since it’s definition by Aristotle as early as 250 B.C., the medium of tragedy is prominent throughout the course of classical literature and can be seen as a traditional hallmark of many great works produced over the centuries. Among other mediums such as comedy and chronicle, tragedy is diversely shown across the literary spectrum ranging from Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex to Elizabethan theater as portrayed in plays such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. Simply defined, tragedy always entails the death of the protagonist. As a common standard in tragedy, the protagonist, or “tragic hero” is of high standing who is faced with some opposing force whether internal or external. “Tragedy is the imitation of an action; and an action implies personal agents, who necessarily possess certain distinctive qualities both of character and thought; for it is by these that we qualify actions themselves, and these- thought and character- are the two natural causes from which actions spring, and on actions, again all success or failure depends....” This excerpt from Aristotle’s Poetics illustrates an aspect of tragedy upon which many works, including Shakespeare’s Othello, are based. In Poetics, Aristotle expresses the writer’s obligation to create what is known as a “tragic hero” in all forms of tragedy. He further explains that this persona must be dominated by a “hamartia” or tragic flaw which leads to his downfall. Prevalently in Othello, the protagonist, Othello, can be seen as a classic tragic hero who is opposed by the strong force of his innate naiveté and over-trust as flaws in his otherwise virtuous character. Through the rapid development of the play, we see Othello’s character disintegrate as a result of his growing jealousy and are finally stricken by a powerful catharsis where despite his wrongdoing, the reader feels pity for Othello and his misfortune. In this tragedy of character, the widespread death and terror can be clearly attributed to the inevitable defect in the persona of Othello, the tragic hero.
In the beginning of the play, Shakespeare illustrates Othello as a benevolent military noble who shares an intellectual love with his young wife, Desdemona, that is of utmost purity and innocence. At once the evil character of Iago is introduced and uncovers the hero’s tragic flaw; ultimately that of naiveté. Although Othello is usually a very even-tempered man, as can be seen when he refuses to let Iago persuade him to get angry at Roderigo, (I, ii, 6), an exteriour opposing force characterized by Iago, perpetuates the tragedy of the play by provoking the interiour opposing force, or the hamartia of the protagonist. Near the beginning of the play, Shakespeare’s clever demonstration of dramatic irony allows the reader to realize Othello’s tragic flaw in the fact that he hands his full trust over to a man who is “Janus-faced” and dishonest. “...my ancient; a man he is of honesty and trust. To this conveyance I assign my wife”. The irony from this line lies in Othello’s misconception of his ensign, Iago, who is already plotting against him for his own means. After witnessing Iago’s conspiracy with Roderigo at the ruination of Othello in the previous act, the reader immediately sees Iago’s villainess, however in innocence, Othello is blinded to it and by it. From this we see, as in many tragedies, the tragic hero’s flaw is not actually a defect in itself, but rather an excess of a virtue. In the case of Othello, this perilous virtue takes the form of his generous trust, which becomes lethal when paired with the villainy of Iago.
There is a fair amount of speculation concerning the realism and probability conveyed by Othello which suggests that because of the seeming unlikelihood of the events in the play, it is not characteristic of a tragedy and Othello, in turn, cannot be considered a tragic hero. This observation perhaps comes from the significant haste with which the plot develops and the apparent lack of insight into Othello’s character. Although some individuals may see this as a weakness in the work, clearly it shows Shakespeare’s literary genius in working another aspect of Aristotles’s definition of a tragic hero into the play. “If you string together a set of speeches expressive of character, and well finished in point of diction and thought, you will not produce the essential tragic effect nearly so well as with a play which, however deficient in these respects, yet has a plot and artistically contructed incidents. Now character determines men’s qualities, but it is by their actions that they are happy or the reverse.” By this explanation from Poetics, Aristotle communicates that the essence of the tragedy lies not in the characterization, but the actions of the tragic hero. Hence, Shakespeare felt it unnecessary to complicate his work with useless information deviant from the heart of the tragedy.
Although Shakespeare wastes no time in transforming the virtuous protagonist almost implausibly into a reckless wife-murderer, one must remember that he is up against, quite believably, the most ingenious archvillian in literature. Being the malicious, but crafty creature that he is, Iago does everything he can to heighten the effects of the hero’s tragic flaw and cause it to work against him. The most conniving aspect of Iago’s plots are recurrently seen throughout the play, when he subtly betters his own image while destroying that of others. An example of this can be seen in act II, scene II, while Iago is questioned by Othello concerning th reason for the “barbarous brawl.” “Touch me not so near. / I had rather have this tongue cut from my mouth / than it should do offense to Michael Cassio; Yet I persuade myself to speak the truth / Shall nothing wrong him.” With this, Iago gives the illusion of being reluctant to speak ill of a friend although we know that it was in his plan all along to set Cassio up so that he would be stripped of his position. This simple, but brilliant ploy elevates his credibility and fools the mighty Othello as well as Montano and Roderigo.
The development of Othello centers around the rising jealousy of the antagonist as the vehicle with which his tragic flaw procures his downfall. As the play progresses, and Iago taints the mind of Othello more and more effectively, Othello becomes increasingly stricken with unnatural suspicion and detrimental emotion which cause him to lash out and become weak in every possible way. The latter is preciesly the goal of Iago. As a result of Othello’s trusting nature, Iago’s heinous ideas are allowed to penetrate into his usually unsuspecting mind and therein warp his thoughts and actions throughout the course of the play. As a result of the purity and truth in the love between Othello and Desdemona, Othello is stricken with grief when it is suggested that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him. He does not want to believe it at first, but entrusting dishonest Iago to the task of finding the truth inevitably buries him deeper in deceptions. At a turning point in the play where he is tortured with disbelief and images in his mind, the usually collected and brave Othello is seen withering both physically and emotionally at the mercy of Iago. In Act IV, Scene I, we see Othello fall into a trance after falling victim once more to another one of Iago’s malicious lies concerning the details of the imaginary affair between Desdemona and CAssio. “Lie on her? ...Zounds! ...Noses, ears, and lips? Is’t possible? -Confess? -Handkerchief-O devil!” The marked lethargy uncharacteristic of placid Othello followed by his physical collapse shows his final capture by Iago and the point where the tragic hero becomes irreversibly cast into a tumult of sin.
As a sub-theme in the play of Othello, it is interesting to consider the fact that had Othello not been in a love so true and pure with Desdemona but in a marriage resembling that of Iago and Emilia, for example, he may not have been so enraged and inflamed with the knowledge of her disloyalty as to end up killing her and himself in the end. Othello’s goodness as portrayed through his divine love for Desdemona renders him a tragic hero in that although he is a well-intentioned righteous individual, he can also be persuaded into murdering even that which is dearest to him.
Although in the play, Othello is characterized as the moor of Venice, as a dignified general he still represents humanity, for he is clearly not a god. It is in this fact that Shakespeare successfully fulfills the final obligation in the creation of tragedy; to enthrall and empassion the audience in response to the actions of the tragic hero. Prior to the implantation of Iago’s venom in his mind, we see Othello as a man worthy of respect. However, as the play unfolds and Othello becomes defenseless to his jealousy that steals away his rationale and provokes him into violence, we begin to hate Othello as we witness the evil in his acts. The reader is especially affected by the contrast in his nature when he strikes his loving wife in public as a result of the passion of his misconceptions. Finally after the unjust and horrific murder of Desdemona, when Othello comes to realize the horror of his doing, the audience reaches a catharsis, in which we are struck with feelings of pity and approbation for the antagonist. Othello, utterly ripped apart by the discovery of Iago’s plot then damns himself to hell out of guilt for his actions, “O cursed, cursed slave! Whip me, ye devils, from the possession of the heavenly sight! Blow me about the winds! roast me in sulphur! ...O Desdemona, Desdemona Dead! O! O! O!” From the images of hell in Othello’s speech, it is clear that the hero has reached his ultimate doom and the effects of his hamartia have taken their ultimate toll. The reader finds solace, however, in knowing that the protagonist does conquer the part of himself that has brought about the tragedy, although much too late. In his last speech, it is as if Othello steps out of the part of himself containing the flaw that was responsible for his deeds and kills it. “Set you down this. And say besides that in Aleppo once, where a malignant and turbaned Turk beat a Venetian and traduced the state, I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog and smote him - thus” We are particulary moved in Othello’s ironic speech when he discloses before his suicide, “Speak of one that loved not wisely, but too well, of one not easily jealous but, being wrought, perplexed in an extreme....” It is in this that Othello comes to the realization of the tragic flaw of his naiveté and lack of wisdom that has led to the dreadful situation. However, as characteristic of tragedy, the hero has reached this realization too late, and he dies leaving the reader saddened by the realm of events forming the tragedy.
Another victim of the strong force of hamartia as defined by Aristotle, the great Othello is a medium through which Shakespeare is able to express once again his genius as a playwright. The play Othello reaches out and captivates the audience or reader using concepts such as hamartia to empassion him, causing him to feel and sympathize with the protagonist. The fact that the excess of a virtue such as trust could have such a devastating effect on a man of such esteem, as portrayed by Othello, enhances Shakespeare’s and any tragedy writer’s ability to contact the audience on such a personal level because the events of at least the human characteristics, (such as Othello’s naiveté) are so fathomable. Having encountered first-hand the compelling vibrancy of Othello, the play’s protagonist, Othello, undoubtedly portrays, though his trials and final demise, the classic tragic hero.
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