Discuss the importance of power in the tragedy of Othello.

Authors Avatar by loopholemate (student)

Discuss the importance of power in the tragedy of Othello.

The tragedy of Othello shows the downfall of the protagonist, Othello, by the deception of Iago and his fatal flaw of jealousy. The idea of striving for power contributes to Iago’s determination to bring down Othello after Cassio’s promotion to lieutenant over him. Power also acts as a reason for Othello killing his wife because of the damage done to his authority with the supposed infidelity of Desdemona. Othello’s power at the beginning of the play is portrayed as stable. Othello’s role as an important figure in the army and the respect given to him from seniors hides the issue of his position as an outsider. Despite Brabantio’s prejudice remarks against Othello, he still manages to claim back his authority with the power of his speech and love for Desdemona. However, Shakespeare uses these aspects of Othello’s character to bring about the tragedy which sees the breakdown of Othello's mental state and the death of Desdemona, Emilia and Othello. According to Aristotle’s definition of tragedy, the tragic hero ‘enjoys prosperity and a high reputation’ (Poetics XIII). In Othello, we see Othello’s downfall from his initial high-status to a man weakened by jealousy, by Iago’s envy of power of which he has been deprived of. Iago’s deception leads Othello to think his honour has been damaged by Desdemona, even though his power has actually been degraded by Iago’s ability to deceive him and at the end of the play, Othello’s realisation of this results in him taking his own life.

In 1:3, Othello is addressed as “Valiant Othello” (48) by the Duke, who greets Othello before he greets Brabantio which indicates the high-level of respect given to Othello by senior figures. This contrasts the insults made by Iago in 1:1 calling Othello “an old black ram” and “a Barbary horse”, racist terms that are associated with barbarianism and savagery. Iago’s racism suggests he feels a degree of superiority over Othello in that he is from the majority race. Shakespeare’s use of this language and suggest Iago wants to downgrade Othello and bring out his vulnerabilities. The use of the word ‘Moor’ portrays Othello as an outsider, someone who normally wouldn’t be associated with such high-status or authority. The term ‘moor’ was often used to refer to someone who wasn’t white, although the origin of the word was used to label Arabs and Berbers who inhabited Spain between the 8th and 15th centuries and even Queen Elizabeth had used the term when she desired the removal of ‘blackamoors’ from Britain. The use of the word ‘moor’ in Othello is casual that even Desdemona uses it to refer to Othello. Nonetheless, it’s connotations suggest that at the time this play was written, ‘The Moor’ would be a total outcast from society but the fact Othello wasn’t considered as a second-class citizen indicates that his power and reputation was robust at this point, despite his vulnerability; an indicator of the tragedy  to come.

Join now!

Othello’s self-defence in 1:3 shows Othello to be honourable in his speech. “Most potent, grave, and reverend signiors, / My very noble and approv'd good masters” (76-77) are lines that show Othello being respectful and confident that his honourable conduct will persuade Brabantio of his love for Desdemona. References to war in the line “I won his daughter(95) implies Othello is confident that his position as an important figure in war won Desdemona over her father and it will win over Brabantio as well. The fact that Othello, by the end of it, did win over Brabantio, to some extent, demonstrates ...

This is a preview of the whole essay