Othello Flawed Hero

Tragedy Hubris – extreme pride, over-confidence Anagnorisis - realisation Hamartia – error or fatal flaw Catharsis - acceptance and healing

Shakespearean Tragedy Heroes are victims of their own excesses or self-deception Lack of understanding prevents them from seeing the truth Suffer from inner conflict Characters of high power of status

HEROIC Fits in – gained respect, “valiant” Passionate, affectionate, romantic Honourable – “my perfect soul” Honest – “it is most true” Trusted, admired Trusting – Trusts Des, Venetian justice, human nature VULNERABLE Too trusting- “honest Iago” Naïve- in human relationships Race – outsider, “Happly for I am black” Belief in justice and human nature “loved … too well”

Fatal Flaw Othello’s fatal flaw is jealousy What is jealousy? What does Othello want?

Question (2006, Q3) Choose a play which underlines how one person’s flaw(s) can have a significant impact on other people as well as on himself or herself. Explain briefly the nature of the flaw(s) and then, in detail, assess how much the character and others are affected.

How can we understand Othello’s jealousy? How is it linked to positive qualities in Othello’s character? What other factors make us more sympathetic? How does the character of Iago affect how we feel towards Othello? Can you justify Othello’s actions at the end of the play? In what ways is jealousy ‘monstrous’? In what ways is jealousy like a ‘dungeon’? Have you ever felt jealous? How does it feel?

Jealousy Iago’s jealousy of Othello (1.1) Othello’s feelings of inferiority or seclusion (1.3) Othello’s love for the ‘pure’ Desdemona (1.3, 2.1) Othello’s use of the word “lie” (4.1.35) Othello seeing things as evidence which fuels his jealousy (3.3) Othello’s hatred for the ‘impure’ Desdemona The turmoil of Othello’s jealous mind (3.3, 4.1) How Othello justifies his jealousy at the end (5.2)

Jealousy Othello’s fatal flaw or Hamartia Is vital to tragedy While Hamlet’s indecision can be frustrating or Macbeth’s over-ambition can make him unsympathetic Jealousy is understandable because it is something which we all suffer from Can be attributed to his great love for Desdemona And is made stronger by Othello’s outsider status Is seized upon by a master of manipulation in Iago And leads to Othello destroying the innocent Desdemona, his only chance of contentment