'In Shakespeare's Day it was central to contemporary assumptions about the nature of tragedy that the tragic hero himself should be noble, that is why this is Othello's tragedy and not for example Iago's.' How do you as a member of a modern Shakespearian
‘In Shakespeare’s Day it was central to contemporary assumptions about the nature of tragedy that the tragic hero himself should be noble, that is why this is Othello’s tragedy and not for example Iago’s.’ How do you as a member of a modern Shakespearian audience react to this comment on Othello? You should include an examination of at least 2 extracts.
In all tragic plays, there exists a tragic hero who must be a person of noble stature from which they can fall from. In Shakespeare’s Othello, the central character, Othello, can be seen as the archetypal tragic hero. All classical, Shakespearean tragic heroes follow the same criteria. At the outset, since tragedy involves the "fall" of a tragic hero, the character must have a lofty position to fall from, or else there is no tragedy, just pathos. Subsequently, through a series of influences or actions, the tragic hero must undergo a change of fortune and fall from high to low estate. Finally, this fall from high to low standing must emerge on the account of his tragic flaw. To understand Shakespeare’s use of the word ‘noble’ we must first understand its meaning. The word ‘noble’ is used to describe someone who possesses outstanding qualities and is faultless, and is used to describe someone of high birth or exalted rank. Othello, at least at the beginning of the play, is noble in the sense that he has faultless characteristics however he is not noble in terms of birth. This breaks the tradition of the tragic hero. If this is the case then Iago could also have been the tragic hero. He is noble as he is in a high ranking army position, like Othello, and his downfall is his fatal flaw of jealousy. He is on stage as much as Othello and towards the end of the play the audience seem to be more interested in Iago’s manipulation of Othello rather than Othello’s gullibility as it is his manipulation of Othello that causes both his downfall and Othello’s.
