Shakespeare's "Othello"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, through Othello, Shakespeare creates, perhaps, the most popular tragic hero in literature because Othello is presented as strong and powerful in the beginning of the play, and, by the play's end, he is reduced to a man blinded by jealousy. The author points out that Shakespeare allows the downfall of Othello through the character of Iago. The paper concludes that, because Othello recognizes his failure and tries to rectify the situation in the only way he knows how, we feel pity for him.

From the Paper:

"Again, we can see the genius of Shakespeare at work. We have witnessed the complete transformation of a warrior to a jealous husband. Othello's flaw lies in the fact that "his whole nature was indisposed to jealousy, and yet was such that he was unusually open to deception, and, if once wrought to passion, likely to act with little reflection, with no delay, and in the most decisive manner conceivable". Cantor agrees with this assertion, adding another crucial element to Othello's demise. He claims that Othello's image of himself has become tightly connected with how Desdemona perceives him. He explains that for most of Othello's life, "his self-possession came from the fact that he could derive his sense of worth from his own heroic deeds, something largely within his own control."

More papers on Shakespeare's "Othello":

• Analytical Essay # 31231 : "The Characters of "Othello" and "Jane Eyre" as 'Other'"
• Analytical Essay # 136050 : "Jealousy in the Character of Othello"
• Analytical Essay # 54260 : "Shakespeare's "Othello" and Tragedy"
• Research Proposal # 104756 : "Women in Shakespeare's Tragedies"

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