Othello's Tragic Flaw
Othello – William Shakespeare
Othello is a Shakespearean tragedy;
* It concerns the fortunes of one person – the hero. * The hero is of high birth and position. * He has many good qualities. * He has a great weakness in his character. * This flaw is played on by circumstance. * This flaw causes suffering and misfortune to innocent people. * These events horrify and fascinate the audience. * These events lead to the hero’s death. * Audience feels pity, fear and a sense of wastage at the end.
Act Scene 1
* Shakespeare opens the play stirring curiosity in the reader as he introduces the play in mid conversation. * We are in wonder of who Iago hates. * “Mere prattle without practise is all …show more content…
He cannot live or bear the thought to live without his wife and if the day comes when he no longer loves her his world will come crashing. * “Othello’s occupation’s gone.” – Now he knows about Desdemona and Cassio’s affair his purpose and reason for living is gone. Desdemona’s love overpowered everything in Othello’s life, she came before his soldiership, his reputation and his friends and now that their love is gone his life is worthless. * “Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, Be sure of it. Give me the ocular proof.” – We can see at this point the road that Othello’s going down. He wants proof that Desdemona is in fact a ‘whore’, not the opposite which shows a shift in Othello’s thinking, before he wanted to prove Desdemona’s goodness but now he wants proof of her disloyalty. There is almost no turning back at this point as Othello clearly believes Iago’s lies and simply wants evidence to back them up. He can no longer live with the uncertainty and needs proof. * At this point in the play we realise Iago and Othello are using each other’s language (echoing each other) this shows Othello is beginning to think along the same lines as …show more content…
* Othello at this point is inarticulate with rage. This is a very different character we see from the one we seen at the start of the play. This makes us reflect on the change in Othello’s character, the way he described winning Desdemona’s love was perfect. * Othello eventually takes a fit as he is so enraged, this shows his heartbroken status. * Iago is gloating over what he has managed to achieve. Othello now wants to see what is being said as hearing is not enough. * Othello plans to kill Desdemona by strangling her – an intimate murder, she will know she is murdered by her husband, the pain will be severe and he will need to use his own hands as the weapon. * We see Othello’s complete loss of temper when he strikes Desdemona publically. The more Desdemona talks (obliviously) about Cassio the further Othello is enraged. * Othello now degrades her publically, disrespecting her further.
Act 4 Scene 2
* This scene is opened with Othello interrogating Emilia about Desdemona and Cassio’s
Othello is a Shakespearean tragedy;
* It concerns the fortunes of one person – the hero. * The hero is of high birth and position. * He has many good qualities. * He has a great weakness in his character. * This flaw is played on by circumstance. * This flaw causes suffering and misfortune to innocent people. * These events horrify and fascinate the audience. * These events lead to the hero’s death. * Audience feels pity, fear and a sense of wastage at the end.
Act Scene 1
* Shakespeare opens the play stirring curiosity in the reader as he introduces the play in mid conversation. * We are in wonder of who Iago hates. * “Mere prattle without practise is all …show more content…
He cannot live or bear the thought to live without his wife and if the day comes when he no longer loves her his world will come crashing. * “Othello’s occupation’s gone.” – Now he knows about Desdemona and Cassio’s affair his purpose and reason for living is gone. Desdemona’s love overpowered everything in Othello’s life, she came before his soldiership, his reputation and his friends and now that their love is gone his life is worthless. * “Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, Be sure of it. Give me the ocular proof.” – We can see at this point the road that Othello’s going down. He wants proof that Desdemona is in fact a ‘whore’, not the opposite which shows a shift in Othello’s thinking, before he wanted to prove Desdemona’s goodness but now he wants proof of her disloyalty. There is almost no turning back at this point as Othello clearly believes Iago’s lies and simply wants evidence to back them up. He can no longer live with the uncertainty and needs proof. * At this point in the play we realise Iago and Othello are using each other’s language (echoing each other) this shows Othello is beginning to think along the same lines as …show more content…
* Othello at this point is inarticulate with rage. This is a very different character we see from the one we seen at the start of the play. This makes us reflect on the change in Othello’s character, the way he described winning Desdemona’s love was perfect. * Othello eventually takes a fit as he is so enraged, this shows his heartbroken status. * Iago is gloating over what he has managed to achieve. Othello now wants to see what is being said as hearing is not enough. * Othello plans to kill Desdemona by strangling her – an intimate murder, she will know she is murdered by her husband, the pain will be severe and he will need to use his own hands as the weapon. * We see Othello’s complete loss of temper when he strikes Desdemona publically. The more Desdemona talks (obliviously) about Cassio the further Othello is enraged. * Othello now degrades her publically, disrespecting her further.
Act 4 Scene 2
* This scene is opened with Othello interrogating Emilia about Desdemona and Cassio’s