To what extent does Othello meet the criteria of a tragic hero?
To what extent does Othello meet the criteria of a tragic hero?
The characteristics of a tragic hero are explained in Aristotle’s theory. Aristotle said that a tragic hero must go through four stages. These are Peripateia, which is an utter and complete downfall from a very high status such as a king, prince etc… to catastrophe and misery. Hamartia, which is a fatal or tragic flaw in the hero. Anagnorisis, which is recognition of the hero’s mistakes, and Catharsis, which is when the audience is purged of all negative emotions towards the hero.
For many years there has been a great deal of controversy over the character of Othello in Shakespeare’s play. Critics have debated the extent to which Othello can be considered a tragic hero, but there are two critics, whose views are held within higher consideration than the others. The first of these critics is A.C. Bradley who believes that Othello is one of the greatest of all tragic heroes. The latter of these critics is one F.R. Leavis who believes that Othello does not truly qualify for the tragic hero status.
Bradley and Leavis both agree on the fact that Othello never reaches a complete Peripateia, but for vastly different reasons A. C. Bradley’s argument is that “The Othello of the fourth act is Othello during his downfall. His fall is never complete but his grandeur remains almost undiminished”. This demonstrates to us that Bradley accepts the fact that Othello’s downfall is never truly complete, but he remains steadfast in his view that Othello retains some form of nobility and honour. He sees Othello as “Virtually faultless”. We can see this when he says “Othello does not belong to our world, and he seems to enter it we not know whence – almost as if from a wonderland”. This displays to us the extent to which Bradley sees Othello as a pure, faultless figure.
Leavis’s argues that Othello is “Overly aware of his nobility” and thus lacking in the requirements of a true tragic hero. We can see this when
The characteristics of a tragic hero are explained in Aristotle’s theory. Aristotle said that a tragic hero must go through four stages. These are Peripateia, which is an utter and complete downfall from a very high status such as a king, prince etc… to catastrophe and misery. Hamartia, which is a fatal or tragic flaw in the hero. Anagnorisis, which is recognition of the hero’s mistakes, and Catharsis, which is when the audience is purged of all negative emotions towards the hero.
For many years there has been a great deal of controversy over the character of Othello in Shakespeare’s play. Critics have debated the extent to which Othello can be considered a tragic hero, but there are two critics, whose views are held within higher consideration than the others. The first of these critics is A.C. Bradley who believes that Othello is one of the greatest of all tragic heroes. The latter of these critics is one F.R. Leavis who believes that Othello does not truly qualify for the tragic hero status.
Bradley and Leavis both agree on the fact that Othello never reaches a complete Peripateia, but for vastly different reasons A. C. Bradley’s argument is that “The Othello of the fourth act is Othello during his downfall. His fall is never complete but his grandeur remains almost undiminished”. This demonstrates to us that Bradley accepts the fact that Othello’s downfall is never truly complete, but he remains steadfast in his view that Othello retains some form of nobility and honour. He sees Othello as “Virtually faultless”. We can see this when he says “Othello does not belong to our world, and he seems to enter it we not know whence – almost as if from a wonderland”. This displays to us the extent to which Bradley sees Othello as a pure, faultless figure.
Leavis’s argues that Othello is “Overly aware of his nobility” and thus lacking in the requirements of a true tragic hero. We can see this when