Does othello represent the idea of a tragic hero
In Greek tragedy, the concept of hamartia is an error in judgment or where an unwitting mistake is applied to the actions of a hero. For example, the hero might attempt to achieve a certain objective by making an error in judgment, however, the hero instead achieves the opposite of what they wanted to achieve, with disastrous consequences. The hero's hamartia is the cause of his peripeteia.Bradley argues that Othello is a practically “faultless hero”, whose strengths and virtues are used against him by the character of Iago. He says that Othello's only trait of character is his strong and absolute trust. He argues that Othello's trust can be seen through his words to Iago when he says “My ancient, a man he is of honesty and trust to his conveyance, I assign my wife”. Although it could also be argued that Othello illustrates another flaw in his character in that he regards his wife as a possession. He says that “[Othello's] opinion of Iago was the opinion of practically everyone who knew him”. This demonstrates to us that Othello was not the only one that was deceived and manipulated by Iago. Another example of this can be seen through Iago's manipulation of the character of Cassio. This is seen when Cassio trusts Iago to look after him in the event of him getting drunk, Iago abused this trust by allowing him to get into a fight. It shows us that it was not through fault of Othello that he was manipulated; so much as it was through the strength of Iago's power.Leavis on the other hand doesn’t think that Othello is of such a high status and believes that Othello’s character is much more complex. Leavis argues that “Othello's trust is not strong or “absolute” as Bradley proposes, and therefore can't be Othello's fatal flaw. This can be seen in Othello's inconsistent treatment of Cassio, Iago and Desdemona”. Leavis says that Othello should be critisised for his lack of trust for his wife. Desdemona shows nothing but love and devotion to Othello. Leavis contradicts Bradley by arguing that ‘[Othello’s] trust can never have been in Desdemona’. Leavis sees Othello as a character that is full of flaws. He argues that Othello is “egotistical…with a habit of self-approving and dramatizing.” This puts
forward a very strong view of Othello. We can understand what Leavis means when Othello says “My parts, my title and my perfect soul”.My opinion is similar to that of A.C. Bradley. My reasons behind this are that Othello is descended from royal blood and was taken as a slave. Therefore meaning he was of high status, setting him up for a huge fall.However I don’t agree that Othello was a faultless hero, I think that Othello’s main vice was being too trusting, however if he had trusted Desdemona as much as he trusted Iago his downfall could have been ...
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forward a very strong view of Othello. We can understand what Leavis means when Othello says “My parts, my title and my perfect soul”.My opinion is similar to that of A.C. Bradley. My reasons behind this are that Othello is descended from royal blood and was taken as a slave. Therefore meaning he was of high status, setting him up for a huge fall.However I don’t agree that Othello was a faultless hero, I think that Othello’s main vice was being too trusting, however if he had trusted Desdemona as much as he trusted Iago his downfall could have been avoided. But I do agree with the idea that it was not through fault of Othello that he was manipulated by Iago, I agree that it was Iago's immense will power that corrupted him.Peripeteia is the downfall of an important person from happiness and prosperity into misery and catastrophe. This again can be applied to the character of Othello. For Bradley, Othello was ‘the most romantic figure among Shakespeare’s heroes (he) ‘does not belong to our world, and he seems to enter it we know not whence – almost as if it from a wonderland.’A.C. Bradley believes that Othello “has played the hero and borne a charmed life” and describes him as “a great man… conscious of his own worth”. Othello’s nobility is unmistakable from the constant references made to him as “Valiant Othello” by the majority of the other characters. He is evidently well respected and looked up to, and therefore must possess an element of decency. In parts of the play he is sometimes compared with Christ. This comparison can be made when Othello avoids any physical attack telling the opposition to “Keep up [their] bright swords, for the dew will rust them” perhaps mirroring Christ’s words, ‘Put up thy sword into the sheath’. Shakespeare therefore perhaps makes this connection between an idolized figure and Othello, emphasizing these positive qualities about him and adding credibility to Bradley’s views.A. C. Bradley claims that at the end of the play “the Othello of the Council-chamber and the quay of Cyprus has returned, or a greater and nobler Othello still” conveying a belief, like F. R. Leavis, that Othello does not undergo a downfall, however in contrast, he suggests that Othello remains noble throughout and is even more noble by the end of the play as the other characters do not blame Othello in the end for his actions taken against Desdemona, and refer to him passionately as a man who was “great of heart” still believing entirely in his nobility.Leavis believes that Othello is noble however; he believes that Othello is overly aware of his own nobility and therefore lacks the qualities of a true hero. ‘Othello, in his magnanimous way, is egotistical. He really is, beyond any question, the nobly massive man of action, the captain of men, he sees himself as being, but he does very much see himself in short, a habit of self – approving dramatization is an essential element of Othello’s make-up and remains so at the very end.Leavis thinks that Othello gives in too easily to Iago’s manipulations and that his love of Desdemona isn’t real and that it’s more of an egotistical self love, or being in love with the idea of being in love. ‘It may be love, but it can be only in an oddly qualified sense of her: it must be much more a matter of self-centered and self-regarding satisfactions – pride, sensual possessiveness, appetite, loss of loving – than he suspects. I do believe that Othello had the qualities of a hero However Othello appears to be quite single- minded when he exclaims to Iago that “to be once in doubt / Is once to be resolved” suggesting that one moment of suspicion gives him eternal doubt. This is also supported by Othello’s fixed trust for Iago until the final moments of the play, and by his certainty that Desdemona is untrustworthy, provoked only by his suspicion and paranoid mind. However it is evident from Othello’s words “I’ll have some proof” that he is not as susceptible as Bradley proposes, as he demands for proof to provide evidence for Desdemona’s disloyalty.Whether Othello eventually comes to recognize his fault is debatable he realizes his lack of judgment after discovering the truth about Iago, however it is questionable whether he truly understands his mistake.Anagnorisis is when a hero moves from ignorance to knowledge coming to realise clearly what causes their suffering. The question of whether or not Othello truly experiences anagnorisis remains in debate to this very day.Bradley argues that in killing Desdemona, “Othello sacrifices Desdemona to save her from herself in honour and love”. This shows us that Othello does have some good intentions in what he did to Desdemona. An example of this is when Othello says “She must die, else she'll betray more men”. This demonstrates Othello’s honour and nobility. Bradley justifies Othello's actions by blaming Iago's and his manipulation, which he supports when Othello says “But what serves for the thunder! Precious Villain.” Therefore Bradley does not see that Othello achieves Anagnorisis, as he thinks he is not to blame for the tragedy that occurs during the play. This shows us that Bradley still sees Othello as a ‘faultless hero’ even after his actions toward Desdemona and lack of remorse. Leavis, on the other hand argues that Othello struggles to reach a complete Anagnorisis because of the fact that he doesn't take full recognition or responsibility for his actions, and he fails to see the faults and traits within his own character. “But he remains the same Othello, he has discovered his mistake but there is no tragic self discovery”.Leavis thinks that when Othello begins to recognise his fault and feel some sort of regret it is more in the form of self dramatization then real sorrow for his actions.Leavis says that Othello has great misconceptions about what has taken place. He thinks Othello generally believes that his actions were entirely honourable. This is shown when Othello says “For nought I did in hate, but all in honour” however he also says “I would not kill thy unprepared spirit; No heaven forefend, I would not kill thy soul”. Othello does not let Desdemona pray once more despite the fact that he said she could. In my opinion whether Othello eventually comes to recognize his fault is debatable he realizes his lack of judgment after discovering the truth about Iago, however it is questionable whether he truly understands his mistake. I agree with Bradley when he says Othello did have some good intentions in what he did to Desdemona and I agree that he still shows some kind of honour and nobility however I agree with Leavis that when Othello begins to recognize his fault and feel some sort of regret it is more in the form of self dramatization then real sorrow for his actions.The question of whether Catharsis takes place within the character of Othello remains in debate between A. C. Bradley and F. R. Leavis.Bradley's argument is that by Act 5, “Othello's anger has passed, and sorrow has taken its place”. This suggests that Othello does meet Aristotle's characteristics of a tragic hero in terms of Catharsis because through this the audience neglect all negative emotions towards Othello. Bradley says that “His sufferings are so heart rendering that he stirs, in most reader, a passion of mingled love and pity.” We can see an example of this when Othello says “Desdemon, dead, Desdemon. Dead! O,O!” the broken prose here is almost like the character of Othello is crying. Leavis completely dismisses Bradley's argument, believing that he is “Clouded by his manifestations of perfect nobility”. He says that the only way in which the audience might feel any sympathy for Othello is because of the fact that Othello is strongly manipulated by Iago. Leavis does not believe that Catharsis occurs because in Othello's final speech, he talks in third person, keeping the audience at a distance, and throughout this speech, Othello is “preoccupied with his emotions rather than Desdemona in her own right”. We can see this when Othello says “Speak of me as I am” This shows us that despite what has happened to Desdemona, Othello is still thinking of himself and his own feelings.Overall I do think of Othello as a tragic hero, despite his bad traits, Such as being far too egotistical and jealous. However it is also obvious that he is emotionally distraught about what he does to Desdemona. So much to the extent that he takes his own life. Othello isn't a ‘faultless hero’ like Bradley believes he is but everyone has faults in their character. Leavis says that Othello is wrong to trust Iago, but the fact is that we only see this fault because we witness this from and exclusive view. Without the knowledge that Iago is a deceitful villain, we would probably hold nothing against Othello. He was manipulated through his immense trust in Iago, which was his main vice. I don’t think that Othello meets all of the requirements for a tragic hero, but he does achieve most of them to a certain extent. Othello isn't a perfect tragic hero, but he is without a doubt a hero, who fall’s victim to a great tragedy which leads to his own death and the death of his wife. I believe that Othello, despite all of his traits and errors is a tragic hero. Natasha Williams
