Tahlea RobinsonWorld literature I 2 April 2015Was Othello a tragic hero?In order to be considered a tragic hero, one must ultimately be a genuine person, but makes some error in judgment that causes his downfall. A simple mistake or character flaw can bring them to an abrupt end, followed by a loss of everything they have. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello carries certain characteristics that make him seem very ingenuous. Although he is a prestigious character, he allows his surroundings to spin him into self-destruction. Not Only is Othello’s destruction caused by his own actions and his own fate, but is also caused by the actions of other characters in the play.
Othello’s Gullibility and Jealous spirit is what makes him a tragic hero.Othello’s bold personality catches the attention of people, and draws them closer to him. He shown as a very honorable, reliable and well respected military leader. Othello maintains control through most of the play. His control is an example of how heroic he really is and how much power he holds. In Act I, Othello has an altercation with Brabantio, who has come to kill him, but before anything could take place, Othello delcares: “Hold your hands, both of you of my inclining and the rest.
Were it my cue to fight, I should have known it without a prompter” (I, ii, lines 97-100). The power showcased in this line is amazing. One major flaw that Othello portrays which makes him a tragic hero is his Gullibility. Othello’s Character is known to be of dark decent. Not because of his complexion, but because he is a very perplexed individual. Although He is very mysterious, he is also vibrant and open-minded but he lacks the gift of discernment.
He is not Alert to who his enemies are and he . .o committing murder: I look down towards his feet — but that ‘s a fable If that thou be ‘st a devil, I cannot kill thee (V, II, Lines 333-334) He couldn ‘t handle the idea of knowing that he had killed due to jealous behavior rather than the right thing. Cowardly, He decided to take his own life by taking a knife and stabbing himself. While saying: “I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No way but this, Killing myself, to die upon a kiss” (V, ii, line 413-414).
Othello became jealous. And because of his Gullible naive nature, He let a man that never had good intentions trick him into believing that his wife was cheating on him. Othello murdered his wife thinking he was doing the right thing. He let a devious demon like Iago diminish his character and bring nothing be pure evil out of him. This whole entire situation displays the reason that Othello is a tragic hero
