"Othello is not a typical example of a tragic hero." Discuss.

On the whole, Othello’s character and his tragic development are consistent with the Greek notions of the tragic hero. The first act of the play sees Othello in a high-ranking social sphere, a well-respected man who is, for the most part, good, but not without his flaws. Aristotle defined the archetype of the tragic hero as needing some type of “fatal flaw” in order to be defined as such: this reminds the audience of the humanity of the character, and acts as a device for catastrophe. This fatal flaw is harnessed for such a purpose in the pivotal scene of 3:3, wherein Othello’s jealousy (which is popularly assumed to be the flaw), is exacerbated by Iago in their “perverse marriage”. This scene finely demonstrates the rising action of the play, fitting Freytag’s Triangle. In addition, despite the machinations of Iago, the move of setting from Venice to Cyprus is crucial in Shakespeare’s construction of chaos that builds throughout the play before its culmination in Act Five. This move is considered a matter of war, and could not have been preconceived, even by Iago, who is firmly established to be a villain of circumstance. Furthermore, Cyprus’ ironic title of the “island of love” creates a sense of impending doom for the overly-optimistic Othello and Desdemona. This suggests that fate, “the wheel of fortune”, has some part to play in Othello’s demise, that his tragic path was pre-destined. He is a plaything of the gods: this coincides further with Aristotle’s view of the tragic hero. Aristotle believed that to evoke pity from the audience, the tragic hero must undergo unfair tribulation. However, Othello’s final hamartia of the play, as he “put[s] out the light” of Desdemona in Act Five, is considered unforgivable by the moral logistics of Shakespeare. This is the point of peripeteia – Othello is no longer in control of his fate, and death is the only solution not just morally, but thematically. If the tragic hero does not die, the play is not a tragedy: his death is undeniable, but brings to the audience a sense of catharsis, culminating the tragic elements of the play. Othello’s death is poignant, but not undeserved: the audience feels a sense of sombre peace knowing that order has finally been restored to the narrative. However, there are notable aspects of Othello’s character in particular that are distinguished from the likes of Hamlet or King Lear: the most obvious being his race. Othello’s status as a “Moor” ensures his status as an outsider in the society of Venice. Despite a casual relationship between himself and the Senator Brabantio depicted before the events of the play, this friendship is ruined with the reveal of Othello’s and Desdemona’s elopement. Brabantio was only willing to accept Othello, despite his status as a Moor, for his exotic “stories” and his talent as a general – not as an equal to him or his white daughter. Therefore, contradictory to Aristotle’s Poetics, Othello’s high nobility in the first act of the play can be viewed as a falsehood. This can also be seen in his class ranking: Aristotle mentions that a tragic hero must begin in a place of high nobility, such as a king or a prince. Othello’s role as general of Venice does not fit into these parameters: for his title is not one of nobility, but “warlike”. This feeds into the stigma (both within Shakespeare’s constructed world and within his contemporary audiences) that “moors” are barbaric, animalistic, and prone to violence. These connotations suggest that Othello, whilst respected, is unable to surpass the racism of Venice and become a true nobleman: one could go as far to say that he is merely a gimmick for the white nation of Venice to use and manipulate. In this respect, it is difficult to compare the nobility of the black Othello to that of white Hamlet.