William Shakespeare? S Othello Essay, Research Paper

The Hamartias of Othello

In William Shakespeare? s calamity Othello, the hero, Othello, is plagued by his many tragic flaws. Termed by Aristotle around 330 B.C. , tragic flaw is a tragic hero? s? mistake or evildoing or his defect or failing of character. ? ( p.1296 ) Othello? s tragic flaw include green-eyed monster, a blind, unrealistic love for Desdemona, swearing others excessively easy, and his unfulfilled ability to lead on himself. These defects, along with the aid of Iago, cause Othello to free everything he has including his life.

At first expression at Othello, he shows no marks of green-eyed monster and even entrusts his married woman to Iago stating, ? To his conveyance I assign my wife. ? ( 1.3.286 ) Othello besides the great ego control that is expected from person who has been a warrior since he was seven old ages old as mentioned by, ? for since these weaponries of head has seven old ages pith? they have used their dearest action in the tented field. ? ( 1.3.83-85 ) Iago begins to interrupt down this self-denial by speaking of green-eyed monster:

IAGO. O, beware, my Godhead, of green-eyed monster.

It is the jealous monster which doth mock

The meat it feeds on. ( 3.3.178-179 )

Although the drama shows no indicant of physical aggression by Othello, one can presume from the following address there is some physical confrontation between Othello, and Iago:

OTHELLO. Villain, be certain thou turn out my love a prostitute!

Be certain of it. Give me the optic cogent evidence,

Or, by the worth of mine external psyche,

Thou hadst been better have been born a Canis familiaris

Than reply my waked wrath! ( 3.3.375-379 )

Others besides notice Othello? s covetous loss of self-denial. In Act III Scene V Othello goes make Desdemona to demand she demo him a hankie he gave to her. When she can non bring forth the hankie Othello gets ferocious and storms out of the room. After his issue, Emilia says, ? Is non this adult male covetous? ?

Othello, being a military adult male, sees himself as a adult male who Judgess by the fact. He believes merely what he sees, or what his most sure ensign, Iago, studies to him. Having Iago study the departures on between Desdemona and Cassio makes it even easier for Iago to poison Othello? s head with ideas of green-eyed monster. Even though Iago hinted to Othello about Desdemona? s unfaithfulness, Othello still thought himself a adult male who was non to be self-deceived:

OTHELLO. I? ll see before I doubt ; when I doubt, prove ;

And on the cogent evidence, there is no more but this?

Away at one time with love or green-eyed monster. ( 3.3.204-206 )

This is, of class, dry because as Othello subsequently finds out, it is non easy to do a pick between love and green-eyed monster. Othello being the sort of leader who Judgess by facts Tells Iago to? Give me the ocul

Ar cogent evidence, ? ( 3.3.376 ) of his married woman? s unfaithfulness.

Othello has another Hamartia in that he has a blind, unrealistic love for his married woman, Desdemona. He is a adult male who loved overly but? loved non sagely? ? ( 5.2.554 ) . Throughout the drama Othello professes his love to Desdemona. One such event is when Othello says, ? O my psyche? s joy! / If after every tempest semen such calms. ? ( 2.1.177-178 ) This transition shows that Othello is pleased and calmed by his married woman and his love for his married woman. Just a few lines subsequently Othello exults, ? If it were now to decease, / ? Twere now to be most happy? ? ( 2.1.182-183 ) screening that if he were to decease now his psyche would be happy. Then once more in Act III Scene III, evidently the most of import scene in the drama, Othello lets Desdemona cognize that? I will deny thee nothing. ? ( 3.3.91 ) By this Othello is allowing Desdemona know that there is nil he wouldn? Ts do for her. Being such a becalmed adult male due to his matrimony to Desdemona, Othello, in the garden of the bastion, cries to Desdemona from a distance:

OTHELLO. Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my psyche

But I do love thee! And when I love thee non,

Chaos is come once more. ( 3.3.98-100 )

This transition gives some prefiguration because pandemonium does come once more into Othello? s life. At the terminal of the drama when Othello does kill Desdemona, and he learns the truth about her, he says, ? I kissed thee ere I killed the. No manner but this, / Killing myself, to decease upon a kiss. ? ( 5.2.369-370 ) He shows everyone that he genuinely did love his married woman even in decease.

The last, but non the least of import, tragic flaw that Othello has is swearing others excessively easy, and non being able to swear the right individual. Othello has a awful clip seeking to take whether to believe Iago and his married woman, Desdemona. Othello needs to swear his married woman even to the point that he cries out, ? If she be false, O, the Eden mocks itself! / I? ll non believe? T? ( 3.3.278-279 ) Othello has a difficult clip swearing anyone other than military work forces because he knows? small of this great universe? more than pertains to efforts of grillings and battle. ? ( 1.3.88-89 ) The one thing that seems certain to him is Iago? s friendly relationship: ? O brave Iago, honest and just. ? ( 5.1.32 ) In the terminal, Othello trusts Iago, his ensign, who has been with him in war which is a bad determination because subsequently he finds out that everything he thought true was merely a batch of prevarications put together by Iago.

Hamartias, defect of the tragic hero, are an indispensable portion of calamities. Othello, plagued by tragic flaw, is doomed from the beginning of the drama. His defect of self-deceit, blind love, green-eyed monster, and swearing others excessively easy are what finally kill him and his married woman. Even though these defects were brought to life with the adjutant of Iago, it genuinely is Othello who is at mistake for fring everything he had even his life.

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