He is quite free from introspection, and is not given to reflection. Emotion excites his imagination, but it confuses and dulls his intellect" (Bradley 179)
This is evident when he tells Roderigo: The Moor is of a free and open nature, That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, And will as tenderly be led by th' nose As asses are. (Shakespeare I
When Iago describes Othello as one "loving his own pride and purposes" (I.i.12), he is describing Othello's "tragic role" (Heilman 21) a
Considering this definition, we can easily see how Othello measures up the Aristotle's definition of a tragedy. Elmer Stoll observes that Othello is the "grandest and noblest of Shakespeare's lovers" (Stoll 323), adding that the "highest tragic effect" (323) is that a "great and good man" (323) succumbs to the wicked Iago
3453). In Othello, as in other Shakespearean tragedies, Othello and his companions "bring about their own destruction, though aided and abetted by external circumstances -- if a wife and friend can be called external" (Boas 17)
Othello is categorized as a tragedy among Shakespeare's works and may further be classified as an Aristotelian tragedy as Othello appears to embody several characteristics that are attributed with being a tragic hero. Greek philosopher Aristotle defines a tragic hero as "a [virtuous or noble] person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor one who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation" (Brown)
In some cases, a tragic hero's fall is due to a tragic flaw, hamartia, whereas in other cases, divine interference is a factor in the tragic hero's fall. "An Aristotelian tragedy has as its essential aim a significant illumination of the pitiable and fearful dimensions of human existence" (Golden 144)
Othello falls victim to Iago's manipulations because he is unwilling to see or even consider that the men that he surrounds himself with could ever be untruthful. Iago notes, "The Moor is of a free and open nature,/That thinks men honest that but seem to be so,/And will as tenderly be led by the nose/As asses are" (Shakespeare 1
.essentially large and grand, towering above his fellows, holding a volume of force which in repose ensures pre-eminence without an effort, and in commotion reminds us rather of the fury of the elements than of the tumult of common human passion" (Bradley 176)
In Heart of Darkness Marlow, Conrad's supposed literary identity, is following a different path as he is of the colonial or "superior" race, stepping into a culture altogether foreign to him, not in a position of inferiority as Othello is but one of superiority. Yet, the disconnect he expresses in the initial stages of the novel stress how difficult it is for him to connect with the "phantoms" he sees around him and how inhuman they seem to him (Conrad 20-21)
In Othello the acceptance of Othello into the dominant white culture of Venice and Cyprus is clearly conditional. He is a Christian Moor and a mercenary soldier, valued only for his wisdom and valor in battle and openly berated for trying to cross the line and assimilate into the culture by taking the hand of Desdemona in marriage (Shakespeare 1:3)
Othello is a proud man and a strong warrior and his greatness is what attracted Desdemona to him. Othello is very aware of this, stating, "She loved me for the dangers I had passed,/and I loved her, that she did pity them" (Shakespeare I
Othello: A Dramatic Study in Venetian Alienation According to Shakesperean scholar Maurice Hunt, "Shakespeare's Venice" in the play "Othello" strives to activate "a disturbing paradigm dependent upon the city's multicultural reputation." (Hunt, 2003, p
"Venetian slavery" was "the embodiment of the capitalist phenomenon of the "common trade or sale of living flesh for money," and human flesh is cheap in Venice, even while it is on its surface tolerant of a diveristy of human characters and colors. (Mallin, 2000, p
Othello becomes a victim in no time at all and with this fallen man, Shakespeare demonstrates how weak we really are despite the outward appearance of strength and agility. Critic Harold Bloom contends that Othello is a man of "a curiously mixed power of expression, distinct yet divided, and deliberately flawed" (Bloom 445)
Bradley observes that once Othello of committing evil, it is too late. He states, "He sees it, in itself almost unresistable" (Bradley 148)
We see his instability when he chooses to believe Iago over his wife. Heilman claims that when Othello chooses Iago over Desdemona, he "makes that particular wrong choice which is the logical opposite of the right choice open to him" (Heilman 341)
This would not be surprising because at this point in the play, Othello believes the same thing. Alvin Kernan notes that Othello appears as the "very personification of self-control, of the man with so secure a sense of his own worth that nothing can ruffle the consequent calmness of mind and manner" (Kernan xxiv)
There is no reason to doubt his greatness and, similarly, there is no reason to doubt that the two are in love with one another. Othello illustrates his affection when he tells Desdemona's father, "She loved me for the dangers I had passed,/and I loved her, that she did pity them" (Shakespeare I
Desdemona is also dissimilar because at least for part of the play, Othello professes his love for her and his contentment with their relationship. He says, "As heu's from heaven! If it were now to die, 'Twere now to be most happy; for, I fear, My soul hath her content so absolute, That not another comfort like to this Succeeds in unknown fate" (Shakespeare 828)