In What Ways Does The Character Of Othello Conform to Literary Tradition Of The Tragic Hero?

Othello is wiz of Shakespeargons or so famous tragedies entwined with death, dislike and deceit. It tells the story of a well regard and admired war ace, who gradually with the play fleets from grace. We ar told how jealousy all thrashs him so greatly that he murders his innocent make dor, and how the resentful Iago seeks avenge on separate characters in the play as he envies their positions of military group and part and uses lies, stealing and sluice murder to get retaliate.Another topic explored in the play is racism. We tell apart Othello has worked hard to overcome racial prejudices in society to reach such a point of great authority and respect, and this makes his story evening more than tragical because it wasnt as if all that personnel and status was fitting t balanceing(p) to him. It was his supports work, it meant ever soything to him and then he lost it all.In literary tradition a tragic hero is a adventuresome person who has authority and p ower in so far loses it all. The steps a tragic hero makes during his decline are entirely his admit. Although influenced by some other, the tragic hero ever displays free will, and the decisions that lead to his demise are his aver, which means that had he of been more careful his death could shed been avoided. It was Othellos fault because of his lack of self-assurance in Desdemona, which resulted in the destruction of them both. Tragic heroes do not inescapably need to die however they do in all the plays compose by Shakespeare. If they do support, then they are destined to suffer virtuous destruction and lose sense of what is right and wrong, blind by their discoverings and the pitiable that they cause experienced.It is crucial that a tragic hero possesses humansy properish personality traits, even if he is a bad person and has plague intentions such as Macbeth, merely they must all have adept fatal flaw.Othello had both splendour and weakness. However Othel lo possessed also oft greatness, and was too successful, noble and too proud and couldnt conceive that he had ever been wrong. Once he lost his ostentation and dignity it was all over for him because he had nothing else.Othello is a successful soldier because he has overcome many dangers and is full of awe-inspiring stories of his courage, will- power, bravery and physical strength. He sounds all in all dedicated to his work, and nothing seems to distract him from it as he is always wholly focused on it. Every conversation he has he refers to it and we dont know that he has any other interests. Even his relationship is dominated by his work.Desdemona is captivated by his marvelous stories and is full of admiration towards him in a sense it is his status and the excitement of his amazing adventures that she has fallen in love with, not Othello himselfShed come again, and with a greedy earDevour up my discourse.Here Othello tells the nobles who have met to discuss battle plans, interrupted by Brabantio acc use Othello of using witchcraft to make Desdemona fall in love with him, that she started to fall in love with him when he told her the stories of the journeys he had made and the battles he had fought in. He describes her fascination with them. The word greedy suggests she was suffering from a desire to hear more and devour suggests that she was desperate to take as practically of it in as possible.It could be said that the couple were always destined for sadness because they were not genuinely in love, respectable with each others doubleShe loved me for the dangers I and passed,And I loved her, that she did pity themOthello is describing how he knew that she loved him for his experiences in life and valiant character, and that he loved her because she admired him so much. This is an example of how Othello is out-of-the-way(prenominal) too proud, as he loved her only because she was so full of sycophancy for him. This makes me entail that he won t be a very good conserve as he is too self absorbed, and it sounds as if he is furthest more concerned roughly himself than with his wife. perhaps winning her heart was average another achievement to him.Iago is overcome with envy when Othello is sent on an urgent military mission in Cyprus and he does not receive the advancement that he was intently waiting for. Instead the position of Lieutenant is disposed to a young Florentine soldier Cassio. In anger Iago seeks revenge on them both for professional and personal reasons. His revenge on Othello is targeted through his relationship with his wife he wants to make Othello feel pain and perceptional upset, by convincing him that his wife is seeing Cassio behind his back and likes him higher up Othello, and he believes will achieve this. He knows that Othello is always used to existence the one who everyone admires and looks up too and that he always gets what he wants, and always seems to win, whether in work or love. Ia go wants him to feel as if in that respect is individual pause than him and that he isnt as good as he commemorates he is.He plans to poison Othello against his innocent wife and frame Cassio by set a handkerchief belonging to Desdemona in Cassios bedchamber. Iago is fr nil with jealousy as he feels that he has worked hard to achieve what he wants, putting in measure and effort, yet it has been Othello who has been rewarded, through what seems like little effort and nice luck.Iago is an annoyance force because he is ruthlessly interfering with their relationship, something which has nothing to do with him and it isnt as if that will even make his situation any better or solve anything. It is pure revenge without any regard for their hearts. What is even worse is that during this he is acting as a associate to Othello, and it is far more painful to be struck by a friend than an enemy. Othello believes Iago is someone that he can trust and this is certainly not adjust.When Othello is told of Desdemonas adultery, he seems instantly convinced that it is true, which shows that he doesnt have much faith in her, or know her very wellThis fellows of exceeding honesty,He seems tout ensemble decided more or less her immediately and believes Iago without question. We know that he does not believe Iago because of insecurity or low self-esteem, so Othello and Desdemonas relationship can never have been very good if he instantly believes Iagos word over her. He suddenly seems completely against her and starts to focus on how maybe wad had tried to warn him against her, and the reasons that it wouldnt work out. He duologue almost both his race and age.Othello copes with this seemingly fatal blow by convincing himself that he hates Desdemona and she is a whoreShes gone I am abused, and my relief must(prenominal) be to loathe her.This puts a great deal of pressure on his pride, entirely to extend feeling good about himself Othello curses her, in a bid to con vince himself that he is better off without her and deal with the situation. This actually shows him to have a very weak character despite his heroic image as he has to convince himself she is so terrible just to make himself feel good. In a way even at this point we could say that he is a tragic hero, as he does have some very apparent faults and we can foresee his demise. He has shown strength in body, but not in mind.Once he has been convinced of Desdemonas guilt, Othello believes that everyone is mocking him and laughing at him behind his backA fixed figure for the age of scorn.He thinks that he has been made a fool, by Desdemona who he now sees as calculating and deceptivePatience, though young and rose lipped cherubin,Ay, there look grim as hellHere he is reflecting on the transformation that he feels Desdemona has made, from a pure, innocent heavenly creature of beauty to a fierce, evil, cunning whore. This is a contrast between good and evil, with the images of heaven and hell, which we could compare to the themes of good and evil in the play represented by Desdemona and Iago.The language at this time of the play moves very swiftly from positive to negative, as if we can feel the evil Iago has created gradually spreading everywhere. We can also see in the quote language which is very poetic, and a great use of metaphors such as how he refers to Desdemona as a cherubin as she seemed so good and innocent. This is unusual for Othello as earlier in the play he scorns his own use of poetic languageI prattle out of hammer (act2 stroke1)Here he is referring to his speech to Desdemona after their arrival in Cyprus, and is admitting to himself that he is usually a far more plain accoster without reckon language or poetic phrases. This would suggest that either Desdemona brings out a different more romantic side in him, or that he is playing a role in front of her to convince them both that he is a perfect lover as well as soldier.Now by using this poetic s tyle language, which he detested before, to convey his anger the audience are struck by the feeling that he has been encompassed by some kind of change, and it signifies the success of Iagos plan.The final scene of Othello is constructed in such a way that speeches of dramatic eloquence are entwined with straightforward dialogue. Othello is now completely convinced that he must come out Desdemona, and he tries to justify himself by saying he is doing it for the good of other men. I think another flaw in Othellos character is that his work, competitiveness as a hero for his pack and violent death enemies, is so much a part of even his everyday life, that he has become blinded by jealousy and in a kind of madness is suggesting that polishing Desdemona has to be make as part of his duty. What really makes him a tragic hero is that he had led himself to believe that what he is about to do is correct, yet he close up loves her and so he is confused.Othello talks about what he is going to do as if it is something that has to be done, as if he is putting an animal out of its miseryIt is the cause, it is the cause, my soulHe thinks that he is sacrificing her to an ideal rather than murdering her in vengeful hatred.A lot of ferocity is now placed on her beauty, e supernumeraryly the whiteness of her skin. Othello tells himself that he has to kill Desdemona, yet he does not want to ruin this beauty besides Ill not shed her blood,Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow.The whiteness of her skin expound makes us think about her purity and innocence, and it is another contrast with colour, light source things personifying goodness. This makes us think of the good and evil in the play again. He is assay to avoid marking her body as she is so pretty. Maybe he also does not want to damage her body because he is convinced that he is doing a good thing and helping her, and he doesnt think that it needs to be a violent slaughter just a quiet sacrifice. He no long er thinks about his anger, but just wants to do what he considers has to be done. By believing what he is about to do is the right thing Othello is following the typical fall of a tragic hero, acting on what he believes to be true and view that his actions are correct. once again we think of her purity and goodness when he talks about putting out the light which personifies her as a light in reference to her life. He also refers to her as a rose, which shows that he is penetrative to compare her to things that appear to be nice, maybe because we know that he stills appreciates her beauty, or maybe because he sees it as a disguiseWhen I have plucked the rose,I cannot give it vital growth again.This is a euphemism for death. From the wink line we know that Othello realises what he is about to do is irreversible the spoken communication vital growth mean that once he has plucked the rose (Desdemona) and interpreted her life, he cannot give it back again. This may show that he has g iven the murder some thought, but he certainly has not considered it rationally or thought about the consequences of his actions. It think that the way Othello is now using metaphors to describe everything it proves that he is not thinking clearly and that he is caught up in some kind of obsession, quite apart from mankind. By never referring to it directly, it makes us think he is not looking at the consentaneous situation in a sensible or wise way.By kissing Desdemona one last time, Othello shows that he is still drawn to her and loves her, yet he doesnt want to believe it. It builds up a lot of focus for the audience because right until the last moment we are still enquire if he will reconsider and change his mind, as it is obvious there is still love there. He wants to remember her the way she was when he was in love with her, charming and beautiful and not betraying or cheating on him. It is obvious that he values perfection, and he would rather her be absolutely and beaut iful than alive and hurting him and causing trouble.During this part of the play Othello has been so taken over by evil that, as an audience, we start to hate him and feel anger at his violence, jealousy and severe misjudgement of his wife.I think also we can recognise a certain naivety at heart his character, for bank someones word enough to kill the person he cares for most in the world.In the final few minutes of the play when Othello is confronted with the reality of what he has done by the other men, he is full of regret and can see that he has made a terrible mistake. He tries to remind them of the man of greatness that he once wasI have done the state some service and they knowtHere he is store how noble he used to be and he is reminding them of what he has done for them all in his heroic past. Maybe he is also trying to reassure himself that he has been a good person in his life before now, and of the good things that he has achieved. He asks the men there to speak of hi m how he really is, and to talk about his behaviour the way it was call of me as I am nothing extenuate, nor set graduate aught in malice.He is asking them not to excuse his actions, but not to talk of him brutally either. He wants them to tell the truth as they see or believe it, and to think about his reasons. This shows that he is trying to keep some dignity and that he values honesty in people, which suggests that still he is a good person. He describes himself as a person that does not usually get jealous, but was wrought with it, and perplexed in the extreme. Again he uses poetic language to express how he feelsLike the level Indian threw a pearl away.Here he is using another metaphor, this time to describe how he just threw Desdemonas life away and destroy her, and how he was unaware of her true value and ignorant about the special person that she was.In the end all tragic heroes come to term with what they have done, and realise that they have made terrible mistakes and have been acting without reason but on their emotions. Othello then takes the decision to end his own life, as he feels that he has been reduced to nothing and has lost everything he ever worked for. He has completely fallen from grace and meets the stereotyped image of a tragic hero perfectly as he goes from unfearing hero to the disgraceful position of a murderer. He talks about himself as two peopleWhere a malignant and a turbaned Turk,Beat a Venetian and traduced the stateHe sees himself as both an time-honoured soldier and a murderous lover, but he doesnt want to live as what he has been reduced to. He cant live with himself after realising what he has done and the full extent of his actions. He may kill himself because he feels that he deserves it for doing such a think, but I also think that his dignity plays a big part as he wants to support some of that and his pride. He refers to himself as a Turk in this passage, which of course his is, but he has always been recognise d as part of the Venetian society, and never referred to as that.He is trying to make the point that he is their handmaid and enemy and will never truly be one of them because of his colour. By this we can tell that he truly has lost all his pride and self assurance, as he never made any statements about this before and always believed in himself and that he could succeed. It has all been the simple emotion of jealousy inside him that has caused the deaths of an innocent woman, a brave and noble man and a passionate love affair.I think that Othello is a true tragic hero because he goes from such a height of greatness to such shame and disgrace. He loses everything. He clearly makes his own decisions, even though he is greatly influenced by Iago. Then at the end of the play he recognises his mistakes and sees his fatal flaw that he was too trusting of Iago and that jealousy blinded his love, and led him to become what he has. His character has changed from the starting line of the play, where he is confident, proud and well-respected to the end when he is remorseful, full of shame and looked down on in disgrace.However he has remained determined all the time to do what he believes, and has always been honest even though people havent been with him.The play evokes feelings of frustration and sadness frustration at the ignorance of Othello about the characters about him, and sadness at the cost of his actions, and loss of an innocent life. Othello is completely in the tradition of a literary tragic hero and dies a victim of his own making.