Othello, Moor of Venice as a Tragedy

This essay discusses Aristotle's concept of tragedy and establishes Othello as a tragic hero and identifies the play as a tragedy as per Aristotle's definition.

Running head: OTHELLO, MOOR OF VENICE AS A TRAGEDY
OTHELLO, MOOR OF VENICE AS A TRAGEDY
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OTHELLO, MOOR OF VENICE AS A TRAGEDY
Introduction
Tragedy is one of the genres of plays and has been used exceptionally by the writers over
the years. However, the definition of tragedy is complex and Aristotle’s definition has been
accepted as the most appropriate. According to Aristotle, tragedy uses action that is direct rather
than narrative to attain the result. Further, he states that tragedy aims to make a catharsis happen
in the audience where catharsis refers to the arousal of fear and pity amongst the audiences and
then purge those emotions as they leave the theater. Shakespeare’s tragedies have all been great
examples of the tragedy explained by Aristotle. Othello, the Moor of Venice in particular, has
touched almost all the points that make it a perfect Aristotelian tragedy.
The aim of the essay is to discuss Aristotle’s concept of tragedy in details and establish
Othello as a tragic hero and identify the play as a tragedy as per Aristotle’s definition.
Discussion
In his seminal work Poetics, the Greek scientist and philosopher Aristotle included
extensive explanations of several terms and concepts of literature that are used even today. His
work on tragedy and the tragic hero in particular attracted much attention from the Elizabethan
era writers in England. In the direct words of Aristotle, tragedy is “the imitation of an action that
is serious and also as having magnitude, complete in itself” (James T Farrell). He further
explains, “Tragedy is a form of drama exciting the emotions of pity and fear”. From this
definition of tragedy, one could clearly understand the fundamental difference between a work of
tragedy and of other genres such as comedy and romance. The purging of the emotions
(catharsis) like pity and fear is achieved when the audiences witness the protagonist
experiencing certain disastrous and moving transformations.

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OTHELLO, MOOR OF VENICE AS A TRAGEDY
Aristotle further stated that tragedy must include six chief elements – plot, character,
thought, song, spectacle and diction. Out of these six elements, the first two, that is, plot and
character are primary. Aristotle stated that the plot is the major element of any tragedy.
Characters, he states, “come in as contributing to the action” but the plot is the “end of the
tragedy” (Silvia Carli). He described the plot as the first principle and character as the second
principle in a tragedy. He further delves upon the importance the plot in tragedy and states that
the plot should be an absolute whole with specific beginning, middle and end (Amechi N
Akwanya). It should be so that the audiences are not faced with any difficulty comprehending the
separate parts and the overall unity both. In addition, Aristotle states that the tragedy must have a
plot that has one central theme where all the facts are related logically to show the misfortunes of
the protagonist. It should be done while emphasizing on the “dramatic causation and probability
of the events” (Silvia Carli).
Aristotle’s tragic hero is very complex and unique than are other heroes. The tragic hero
as defined by Aristotle is the one who dwells upon success and power but later is found in
misfortune and suffering. A flaw in his own character or a “fatal error of judgment”, states
Aristotle, causes the suffering and misfortune. Oedipus, according to Aristotle is one of the finest
examples of a tragic hero because he had to suffer despite being a noble man.
Hamartia or tragic flaw is one of the major characteristics while hubris refers to too
much pride and disregard for the natural arrangement of things (David Krasner). Peripeteia or a
reversal of fortune caused by the judgmental error is another characteristic of the tragic hero.
Further, the tragic hero also faces anagnorisis, referring to an instant when the hero makes a
crucial discovery in the plot (Jonathan Lear).

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OTHELLO, MOOR OF VENICE AS A TRAGEDY
An ancient Greek term, drama means a ‘deed’ or an ‘act’. In Poetics, Aristotle explained
that drama refers to the different poetic compositions, which the actors ‘act’ in front of the
audiences in a theater (Zornitsa Dimitrova). Within drama, Aristotle included the two forms –
comedy and tragedy. Aristotle considered comedy as a drama since it included acts that made the
spectators laugh. Tragedy is also considered a form of drama because the acts it represents make
the audiences feel fear and pity (David Johnson). Mimesis or imitation is one of the most vital
components of drama, claimed Aristotle. He further claimed that dramatic texts and
performances were imitations of deeds or actions performed in real life by the people. In his
views, dramas present unique forms of poetry as these use actual ideas, texts and actions to
create likely views of reality.
Aristotle’s idea about drama also revolves around the plot. According to Aristotle, a plot
in drama must go through five stages starting with setting. The setting must be followed by rising
action, then the climax and then the falling question. The last stage is the resolution.
William Shakespeare’s one of the most popular and influential plays, Othello, the Moor
of Venice has all the elements of the Aristotelian tragedy and the tragic hero. It thus has all the
components of a drama that Aristotle explained. The plot of the drama revolves around the story
of Othello, a Moor who also happens to the general of the Venetian Army. Other main
characters include Iago, Othello’s ensign and the chief antagonist of the drama, Desdemona,
Othello’s wife and Cassio, the most loyal and beloved captain of Othello. The play has five acts
within which the entire tragedy unfolds. At the end of the play, Othello ends up killing his wife
Desdemona on instigation by Iago and then kills himself when the truth is revealed.

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OTHELLO, MOOR OF VENICE AS A TRAGEDY
Othello is a brave, courageous and competent general as well a soldier. He is loyal to his
Venetian people and the army despite being a Moor. The daughter of the Venetian senator
Brabantio, Desdemona falls in love with Othello and he elopes with her making the senator
angry. Iago, Othello’s ensign takes this as an opportunity to destroy Othello by manipulating
him. He succeeds in making Othello believe that Desdemona is infidel and Othello ends up
murdering his own wife.
As evident, Othello is the perfect Aristotelian tragic hero, who possesses all the
characteristics like hamartia, hubris, peripeteia and anagnorisis. As per Aristotle’s description, a
tragic hero must have ‘tragic flaw’ (hamartia) and Othello has the tragic flaws, most prominent
of which are gullibility and jealousy. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must be noble and
have goodness. Othello is a noble man as he possesses a high rank and has a good heart. Despite
having goodness, Othello’s fatal tragic flaws lead to his downfall. Insecurity is another tragic
flaw that Othello has because he is an alien to Venice because of his Moorish background. This
flaw further makes him an easy target for Iago to manipulate and destroy his own life. “She’s
gone, I am abused, and my relief must be to loathe her. Oh, curse of marriage that we can call
these delicate creatures ours and not their appetites”(Othello, Act 3, Scene 3) (William
Shakespeare). The reversal of Othello’s fate (peripeteia) begins when he starts suspecting
Desdemona on instigation from Othello, especially the discovery of the fateful ‘handkerchief’.
The anagnorisis for Othello occurs at the climax when he finds about the deceit of Iago and that
Desdemona was innocent. The hubris in Othello is that he thinks he is a great general and he
cannot go wrong in suspecting Desdemona and her infidelity. These flaws in Othello’s character
make people pity him and fear for his actions and its consequences, which is another important
requirement of a tragic hero.

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OTHELLO, MOOR OF VENICE AS A TRAGEDY
Othello, the Moor of Venice also qualifies as an Aristotelian in that it succeeds in
arousing pity and fear in the audiences and results in catharsis. Further, the plot of the drama has
an explicit beginning, middle and an end. It is the most crucial element of a tragedy and in
Othello; it has been given utmost importance. The ‘handkerchief’ episode is one prime example
of the power of the plot. Then, the second most important element – character – plays the all-
important role of arousing pity and fear and ultimately catharsis. Iago, in particular, is a
character that is still regarded one of the deadliest villains ever created by Shakespeare (Laura
DeLuca). This shows the amount of work that has been put into shaping and building the
characters.
Conclusion
Overall, Othello could be rightfully labeled as Aristotelian’s tragedy and Othello as
Aristotelian tragic hero. This is evident from the discussion above that sheds light on the concept
of tragedy and the tragic hero as defined by Aristotle. The essay provided an extensive
discussion on Aristotle’s concept of tragedy and then elaborated on the tragic hero. It was found
that tragedy according to Aristotle is imitating and action, which is serious and arouses pity and
fear in the audiences. Further, the tragic hero must be good but must have a tragic flaw that
would lead to his downfall and resulting catharsis in the audiences. The analysis of the play by
Shakespeare found that justifies Aristotelian tragedy and tragic hero completely.

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OTHELLO, MOOR OF VENICE AS A TRAGEDY
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Character Lago." Bergen Scholarly Journal (2015): 25.
Dimitrova, Zornitsa. "A Drama of Potentialities—Toward an Ontology." Journal of Dramatic
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