Othello And Aristotle's Tragic Hero

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Othello And Aristotle's Tragic Hero

Authors aim to relate, sympathise, or evoke any emotion from their readers. William Shakespeare achieves this goal through his use of Aristotle’s tragic hero who evokes sympathy for the character and forces the reader to evaluate certain traits in themselves. Tragic heroes possess a tragic flaw or downfall that leads to their death. Shakespeare uses the characteristics of Aristotle’s tragic hero to create a character that readers connect to and, despite their flaw, sympathize with. The fate of tragic heroes end in their death due to their own mistake or character flaw.
In 17th century England, witches foretell the tragic ending of an ambitious and power stricken nobleman, Macbeth. The Tragedy of Macbeth begins with the admiration of the nobleman …show more content…
A Moor and renowned soldier leads the Venetian army to victory against the Turks. During this war, he marries a senator’s daughter, Desdemona. Many hold Othello in high esteem; however, his Ensign, Iago, resents him and plots a scheme to ruin his happiness. He plans to make Othello believe that Desdemona and his Lieutenant, Cassio, have an affair after Desdemona and Othello marry. Furthermore, Iago gets Cassio drunk and then stages a fight to turn Cassio against Othello. Iago, whom Othello believes to be honorable, plants the idea of the affair in Othello’s mind; consequently, Othello fills with jealousy and plans to murder Cassio and Desdemona for their disloyalty. Iago makes Othello believe that Desdemona gives Cassio her handkerchief which Othello gives her as a present at their wedding. He also stages a conversation between Iago and himself which implies that Cassio never cares for Desdemona. These events enrage Othello. Therefore, he asks Iago to kill Cassio while he murders Desdemona. Desdemona never knows of Othello’s thoughts or intentions. She believes that he appears hostile because of matters from the State or because of his disagreement with Cassio. Iago’s plan to murder Cassio fails; however, during this time, Othello strangles Desdemona. Later, Othello learns about Iago’s scheme and lies. Othello commits suicide out of despair and love for Desdemona. In William …show more content…
The fate of tragic heroes ends in a tragic death and appears greater than the hero deserves. Both Macbeth and Othello experience a fate that appears greater than

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