Othellos Tragic Flaws - Research Paper Example

Othello-the Moor of Venice- The Tragic Hero ENGL 102: Literature and Composition Fall D Marsha S. Martin L21944557 MLA Outline you could do a bit better with the outline The concept of tragedy by Aristotle. What did Aristotle say about tragedy? How does tragedy relate to Othello. How does it co-relate with Aristotle’s definition of tragedy? What do proponents and advocates say about it? What makes Othello a tragic hero? How is he influenced by Iago? What are the qualities of a tragic hero? How Is he a hero in the first place? The flow of the character How did the character transition? Why does he behave the way he does? On what note does it end? Thesis Statement: Tragedy has been defined by many theorists. Aristotle defined tragedy as “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....” (Janko) The concept will be elaborated further in the paper. Given the deep rooted definition, Othello is hailed in the literature world as the biggest tragic hero of all times. He had his vulnerabilities and tragic flaws which caused his downfall. But they were his intentions and his madness in love which made him righteous too at that time. How else does Othello count as a tragic hero? Let’s reflect on that. Draft of the essay: Othello, the Moor of Venice is one of the most renowned tragic heroes. He is the protagonist of the famous William Shakespeare play, Othello.His relevance to the literature as a tragic hero has been debated over and over again.While many literary authors believe that he is a tragic hero, there are some who oppose the view. What makes Othello a tragic hero are his intentions which were always righteous. He never had any ill motives towards anyone. His character had flaws of vulnerability and over-trusting. To his irony, he ended up over trusting Iago, his confidante. Iago exploited his trust and maneuvered circumstances which ultimately paved for his downfall. Othello is shown to be madly in love with Desdemona in the love. His life defies logic, it is pure. He is shaken to know that he has been betrayed and has been wronged. His vulnerabilities pave way for him to react ferociously leading him to kill his beloved only to realize towards the end that “he loved too much but not too well”. By all accounts, this gratifies him as tragic hero with tragic flaws. In Othello’s case his tragic flaws were his blind faith trust in Iago. The paper throws light on Othello’s development and disintegration as a tragic hero in this great play by William Shakespeare. The paper draws a connection between Aristotle’s perception of a tragic hero and Othello. How does his character befit the Aristotlean analysis of tragedy and a tragic hero.? Discuss William Shakespeare’s Othello, the Moor of Venice as a tragedy. As defined by Aristotle, is it correct to label Othello a “tragic hero” and to classify the play as an Aristotelian tragedy? Othello-the Moor of Venice – The Tragic Hero A tragedy always results in death of the protagonist. The concept was first defined by Aristotle in 250 B.C in the following words: “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....” (Janko) Tragedy has been a conspicuous part of classical literature throughout the course of history. It has been shown and portrayed in various plays from Oedipus Rex to Hamlet to Romeo and Juliet. Aristotle explained the concept of a “tragic hero” in Poetics. According to him, the tragic hero must fall due to an error in judgment in every type of tragedy. His intentions are not malicious. His inner soul is pure but there are errors in judgment made by his sub-conscious nature that lead to his tragic downfall. Thus in light of Othello, the Moor of Venice, he can clearly regard as the classic tragic hero of all times. In another-wise noble character, the dominate forces of naiveté and over-trust became the premise of the tragic flaws that Aristotle points out. During the course of play, Othello’s character keeps disintegrating due to his growing jealousy. However, despite the mistakes he kept making, the reader cannot help but sympathize with Othello and his bad-luck. The tragedy of his character, the resulting death can only be blamed at the tragic flaws in the persona of Othello thus certifying him as a tragic hero. (Doris) Othello is introduced in the beginning of the play as a very virtuous character by Shakespeare; He is benevolent, noble and is madly in love with his wife, Desdemona. There is complete purity and innocence in his intentions and emotion. It is only when the character of Iago comes to the fore; the reader gets to know of his tragic flaw-his naiveté and his tendency to over-trust. Shakespeare’s fine demonstration of Othello’s tragic flaw is depicted right in the beginning of the play when he exercise full faith in the dishonest, Iago. As Shakespeare put it in his novel “…. “...my ancient; a man he is of honesty and trust. To this conveyance I assign my wife”. (Shakespeare) There is an uncanny irony in this line. It reflects Othello’s mis-conception of Iago, the person. The reader on the other hand immediately comes to know of Iago’s villain after reading through the Roderigo episode. Othello is blinded by his faith in Iago. This shows how a tragic hero’s flaw is not a defect in his character but it is the over-presence of virtue in his nature. Othello’s perilous virtue takes shape of his immense trust in Iago-the same trust that brought his tragic fall.          Othello’s character takes on feisty jealousy as the character develop. His jealousy paves the way for his tragic flaws to culminate into his downfall. Meanwhile, Iago continues his games and taints Othello’s mind very successful. Suspicion and jealous envelope Othello and he start disintegrating. Othello’s blind faith in Iago makes him trust his heinous ideas. He is unable to bear the taint on the purity and trust of the love between him and Desdemona. He is grief-stricken to know that Desdemona had cheated on him. He wanted to trust her but he entrusted the task of finding out the truth to Iago. Iago uses the opportunity to plunge Othello into an even bigger pit of jealousy, suspicion and deception. At the Climax of the play, he is shattered and is unable to come terms with the images that were running through his mind. The otherwise collected and calm Othello breaks down physically and emotionally at Iago’s disposal. An interesting point to note here is the purity, and the madness of Othello’s love for Desdemona. Had he been not that madly and passionately in love with Desdemona he would not have been enraged and inflamed to the point of killing hers and himself-quiet unlike the marriage of Iago and Emily. Othello’s virtuous nature is portrayed by Shakespeare in the form his divine and pure love for Desdemona. It is this love which turns him into a tragic hero; His intentions were right but he could be pushed to the point of murdering someone who he loved the most. (Emily) Shakespeare has characterized Othello as a noble and dignified moor of Venice in the beginning of the plot. He is not a God but he is demonstrated as a man worthy of respect. Shakespeare sets the stage of tragedy through this depiction of Othello. Because once the plot starts unfolding, jealousy takes over Othello and he loses his capacity to think rationally. The reader is compelled to hate him as evil takes him over. He is especially left spell-bound when Othello’s mis-understanding drives him to the point of hitting Desdemona in public. The audience develops feelings of sorrow and pity for the protagonist eventually when he realizes how horribly he has wronged Desdemona after murdering. However, the reader finds relief in knowing that Othello was able to over-come and conquer the part of him which was responsible for this tragedy though it was too late by then. In one of his last speeches, Othello claims “Speak of one that loved not wisely, but too well, of one not easily jealous but, being wrought, perplexed in an extreme....” (Shakespeare)This is the point at which Othello realizes his tragic flaw – his naïve nature and his lack of rationale. Though, just like any tragedy on the block he realizes it too late. The damage had already been done. In the light of affore-mentioned arguments Othello does stand out as a tragic hero. His intentions are righteous in the beginning before jealousy envelopes him to the point of driving him mad and making him kill the person he loved the most. Opponents of the theory, who claim that Othello cannot be a tragic hero, assert that the unpredictability of events in the play does not qualify it to be a tragedy. However, these assertions could be due to lack of insight into the depth and layers of Othello’ character. They fail to realize that the essence of a tragedy lies in not the overt traits of a character but on the actions of the tragic hero. (Carlson)His intentions were not flawed and can never be doubted at any point in the plot unlike that of Iago. He becomes of victim of his tragic flaws and blindly succumbs to his vulnerabilities as he fails to see logic and sees everything through the eyes of Iago. He thus personifies the definition of tragic hero as explained by Aristotle. His characterization helps the reader appreciate what the character stood for. His all-out commitment for his love, the purity and the madness of it, and the way he is shaken when he sees it slipping from his hands. The naiveté his character and his blind trust in Iago led to his tragic fall. Othello sums it up beautifully before passing away in “loved not wisely but too well”. His world his macho, it is serious which is full of adventure and combat. He does not feel home in a sophisticated Venice before insecurity starts creeping in. Othello’s divine love for his wife is not just a driving passion but it is also unique. (Carlson) Aristotle explained that there are four main things which make up a tragic hero-His goodness, his appropriateness, his lifelike and his consistency. Under goodness, a tragic hero should be able to convey through his action and speech about his morals and inner conscience. Othello is shown in the beginning as a noble man. He is self-righteous and his intentions of love are very pure. Where appropriateness is concerned, Othello had the power and the stature in him to rule Venice. He is manly enough. Aristotle was never able to explain what he meant by lifelike. According to few inferences, it could have meant “believable”. This means a tragic hero can’t be perfect. He has to have his imperfections and his imperfections will ultimately lead to his downfall. Othello’s tragic flaws were his biggest imperfections which ultimately led to his downfall. References: Carlson, Marvin. Theories of the Theatre: A Historical and Critical Survey from the Greeks to the Present. Expanded ed. 1993.Ithaca and London: Cornell UP. Janko, Richard, trans. Poetics with Tractatus Coislinianus, Reconstruction of Poetics II and the Fragments of the On Poets. By Aristotle. 1987.Cambridge: Hackett. Pavis, Patrice. Dictionary of the Theatre: Terms, Concepts, and Analysis. Trans. Christine Shantz. 1998. Toronto and Buffalo: U of Toronto P. Shakespeare, William. Four Tragedies: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth. Bantam Books, 1988 Emily C. Bartels Making More of the Moor: Aaron, Othello, and Renaissance Refashioning’s of Race. Doris Adler, "The Rhetoric of Black and White in Othello" Shakespeare Quarterly, 25 (1974) Research Paper Grading Rubric STUDENT: _______________________________ Excellent (45–50 Points) Satisfactory (40–44.9 Points) Acceptable (35–39.9 Points) Needs Improvement (27.5–34.9 Points) Deficient (0–27.4 Points) Structure and Organization Clear introduction and strong thesis evident; clear and appropriate transitions; organization emphasizes the central theme and supports the thesis; appropriate paragraphing; logical, strong conclusion rising from content Generally clear introduction and focused thesis; generally clear and appropriate transitions; mostly appropriate paragraphing; adequate conclusion – relates to content but lacks objectivity or is vague Adequate introduction; unclear thesis; adequate transitions; reader can follow what is being said, but the paper’s overall organization is choppy; adequate paragraphs; conclusion is simplistic or is a repetition of thesis Weak introduction; lacks a clear thesis; weak transitions; main points can be ascertained, but difficult to follow what is being said; weak and long paragraphing; conclusion repeats introduction Weak introduction and does not draw reader’s interest; lacks thesis and focus; little or no transitions; organization is disjointed and haphazard; paragraphs are weak; lacks conclusion Content Assignment parameters (length, subject, objectives) are observed; focus is clear and coherent (good sense of audience); obvious understanding of subject; orderly development; assertions are clearly supported and/or illustrated Assignment parameters (length, subject, objectives) are observed; focus is generally clear and coherent (general sense of audience); good understanding of subject; adequate development; orderly, but stiff, choppy progression of evidence Assignment parameters (length, subject, objectives) not clearly observed; mostly focused (some sense of audience); thoughts randomly organized and presented; assertions weakly supported and/or illustrated Inadequate or minimal observance of assignment length, subject and objectives; weakly focused (little sense of audience); unclear progression of ideas; assertions weakly supported and/or illustrated Inadequate length; objectives of assignment not met; unfocused; little or no sense of audience; serious and persistent errors in organization and structure; lacks understanding of subject; disorganized; does not prove point, if one can be discerned Grammar and Mechanics Sentence fluency coherent, unified, varied; sentence structure complete; correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization; varied diction, word choices Sentence fluency correct, varied; Minor errors in structure (fragments, run-ons); correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization; limited diction, word choices Relatively few errors in sentence fluency; multiple fragments/run-ons, poor spelling, punctuation, and capitalization; limited diction, uses trite words, slang, and contractions Significant errors in sentence fluency and structure, spelling, punctuation and capitalization; diction weak or inappropriate Serious and persistent errors in: sentence fluency sentence structure spelling punctuation usage word choice Research and Sources Consists of relevant materials and effective research; appropriate depth and length of paper; sources are appropriate to the assignment; number of citations and sources adequate for paper Generally relevant material and research to support findings; adequate depth and length of paper; sources mostly appropriate and cited correctly; number of citations and sources adequate for paper Some research is cited, but lacks depth; sources generally appropriate; number of citations and sources minimally adequate for paper Research is limited and not relevant; choice of resources is inadequate Relevant research is missing; not enough resources; inappropriate resources Format Appearance is readable and neat; correct use of APA/Turabian/MLA, margins, font size/ style, pagination, title page; reference page correctly formatted, double-spaced, alphabetized; sources correctly cited Appearance is readable and neat; most of paper uses correct APA/Turabian/MLA, margins, font size/style, pagination, title page; reference page format generally consistent and alphabetized; sources correctly cited Readability and neatness of paper are compromised by the number of errors; APA/Turabian/MLA, format is inconsistent and inadequate; reference page is inconsistent and not alphabetized; most sources correctly cited Disorderliness of paper makes it difficult to read; several format errors; significant errors in reference page; references are not alphabetized; errors in citations Paper is not readable and is disorderly; APA/Turabian/MLA, format is not used; no reference page and/or numerous format errors; sources not cited or incorrectly cited Comments: Score: 250 Read More