In Othello, why is Othello considered a "tragic hero"?

In the broadest sense, all plays (and literature) fall into two categories: comedy or tragedy. A play doesn't have to be laugh-out-loud funny or funny at all to be a comedy. It merely has to have a happy ending. A happy ending means, most broadly, that nobody dies.

A tragedy is a play with an unhappy ending in which sympathetic people die or are very badly harmed. In the largest sense, Othello is a tragedy because so many good people end up dead.

The play also has many of the hallmarks of Aristotle's definition of a tragedy: it has a high-status protagonist who has a fatal character flaw and comes to a bad end. The play also elicits catharsis, or a strong emotional response, from audiences.

The high-status protagonist is Othello, a successful and respected military leader. This protagonist has a fatal flaw: Othello, because he is Black and middle-aged, is insecure about Desdemona's love for him. This fatal flaw is his undoing and leads to multiple deaths following the many deaths orchestrated by Iago. Iago is able to manipulate Othello into believing that Desdemona is having an affair and killing her. Having realized his mistake too late, Othello then kills himself.

Especially in the scenes at the end in which Othello kills Desdemona and later himself, not asking for pity and saying he "loved not wisely, but too well," audiences are deeply emotionally moved by the intensity of the action and the words of both characters. We care about these figures, sorrow at their needless deaths, and experience a sense of emotional release as the play ends.

How does Othello portray the aspects of a tragic hero in the introductory paragraph?

When considering an introductory paragraph, think about your intention.

• You want the reader to be interested and intrigued enough to read on.
• You want the purpose of your essay to be clear by the time your introductory paragraph is finished.
• You need to state your well-planned thesis statement

In your introductory paragraph then, you should state what is required to be a tragic hero, most importantly, that fatal flaw that all tragic heroes possess.

Othello's jealousy will be his downfall. He has established himself in venetian society and is well-respected for his achievements on the battlefield. As much as he shows his confidence and pride, he is always conscious of his background - always needing to reassure himself and others, that he has earned his place in Venice.This is why he thinks he has found an ally in Iago 

Iago is most honest

Hence, when writing your introductory paragraph consider Othello's rise and fall from grace:

From a place of honor, the hero has fallen through some tragic flaw. In this case, the fatal flaw is jealousy, the “green-eyed monster.”

You could begin your essay something like this:

Every tragic hero has a promising future before some fatal flaw in his (or her) character obsesses and envelops all his actions. Othello is no exception to this and we are introduced to a genuine character who is determined to prove his worth as a husband and noble soldier by speaking of his exploits. He

will a round unvarnished tale deliver

to prove his mettle. Unfortunately, his position is tenuous as he is easily misled when circumstance convinces him. He is so affected by honor and reputation that Iago's 'seed of doubt'  - Desdemona did indeed 'betray' her father by marrying Othello- is enough to set the plot and begin Othello's  dark descent.

Remember that your thesis statement needs to conclude this paragraph:

Conflicting emotions, suspicious natures and feelings of betrayal lead to the ultimate - revenge. The tragic hero, full of promise, certainly falls victim to his own failings and uncertainties in his inevitable destruction.  

Is Shakespeare's "Othello" a tragedy and Othello a tragic hero as per Aristotle's definition? Provide three reasons for each.

I will discuss in the following post reasons one could make either argument about the play as a tragedy and Othello as a tragic hero by Aristotle’s definitions.

Reasons that the play qualifies as an Aristotelian tragedy:

• The strong reliance on Peripety; the play begins with a happy marriage between Othello and Desdemona, yet ends with the dissolution of trust and the latter’s murder.
• The catharsis at the end of the play when Othello kills Desdemona, which is the culmination of the growing discord and mistrust.
• The reliance on pity; Othello is pitiable because of Iago’s masterful manipulation. The dramatic irony present in knowing Iago’s tricks and seeing Othello fall for them as the audience inspires pity for Othello.

Reasons that the play does not qualify as an Aristotelian tragedy:

• Shakespeare’s absent set descriptions and sparse stage directions means the play lacks the spectacle Aristotle defines as one of the elements of tragedy.
• Iago lacks a believable personality as a jealous person, which violates one of Aristotle’s comments on a good tragic character.
• One could argue that the pity inspired in the audience doesn’t occur because Othello so easily falls for Iago’s tricks, and when Othello murders his wife, the audience is angry at his actions and wants to see his downfall.

Reasons Othello is a tragic hero:

• Othello’s hamartia is his lack of confidence in himself; he so readily believes Iago’s lies because he worries that a young, beautiful woman like Desdemona could never love a non-white man such as himself. One could also argue that this hamartia is actually jealousy.
• His reversal of fortune is that he loses both his wife, his friends, and his own life in rapid succession.
• Othello realizes that he is responsible for his downfall, prompting him to commit suicide.

Reasons Othello is not a tragic hero:

• Othello does not demonstrate an excessive pride or hubris. Instead, Othello seems to have to opposite problem deep down.
• One could argue that he certainly deserves death for murdering his wife via smothering, which goes against Aristotle’s definition of the tragic hero.
• One could also argue that Othello is certainly responsible for his lack of confidence or jealousy, and if he did not have these flaws, then he wouldn’t have been susceptible to Iago’s manipulation. This contradicts Aristotle’s view that the hamartia is not the fault of the hero himself.

How does one begin an essay on Othello and its tragic hero?

I think that one distinct starting point in writing about the tragic hero that Othello is might be to talk about his downfall. Part of what makes Othello so tragic is because his greatness and sense of awe could not offset his own insecurity. Shakespeare's genius is to construct a character that could appear to represent so much to so many on the outside, only to be plagued with internal demons that lead to his downfall. A great warrior, a self- made man, and one who represents some of the very best qualities is beset with insecurity and doubt about who he is and what he deserves. He is a warrior in a setting of politicians. He is a man of color in a world where he is the most visible of minorities. He is an outsider who has made it within the inner circle.  

Running through all of these dynamics is the fact that Othello is insecure. He finds it difficult that someone like him would be where he is. He cannot fathom that someone like Desdemona would choose someone like him, seen in moments such as when he says, "she had eyes and chose me." It is within this small sliver of insecurity that Iago strikes. He magnifies the fatal flaw within Othello. I think that being able to discuss how Othello's sense of greatness is offset by his insecurities might be a very good starting point in terms of exploring the tragic condition of Shakespeare's protagonist.