A Man’s Character Is His Fate to What Extent Is Othello’s Own Character?

A mans character is his fate. To what period is Othellos avow character the cause of his downfall? According to Aristotles Poetics, a classical sad hero should be renowned and prosperous, superior in some specific way, so that the reversal of fortunes or downfall, stirs up feelings within the audience of a greater intensity. Such disastrous egresss are often triggered by the mistake of the tragic hero due to their tragic flaw or hamartia, which is often linked to hubris or excessive pride.In Shakespeares Othello, as a General of the Venetian army, Othello meets these criteria, as his mistake is to trust secure Iago and convince himself that revenge upon Desdemona will lead to honour and success. In fact, as with most tragic heroes, it is this last which leads to his destruction. However, it is important to consider whether Othellos ruin was the inevitable result of the defects in his character or whether there were other forces, outside of his control, which led him to his do om.If it is solely Othellos hamartia which leads to his downfall, then it must be colligate to the change in his perception of Desdemona. In solve 1, when warned by Brabantio that Desdemona may also deceive Othello, Othello retorts stormily My life upon her faith The exclamation here shews the dedication and trust that Othello feels towards his newfound wife, nevertheless by Act 3, Othello is already beginning to doubt her By the world,/ I bedevil in mind my wife by honest, and I think she is non (3. 3. 389).Shakespeares use of cosmic imaging when Othello swears illustrates the magnitude of Othellos resentment at his own hesitation, as his judgement is usually impulsive, as in Aleppo, (5. 2. 361) when he knew immediately to smote him thus, as he was certain of his enemy, but in this case, doubt has impaired his vision and he is unsure who to trust his new wife or honest Iago. Othellos peripeteia occurs when he decides to trust Iago however, the audience are strike at this decision, as it is unclear what has changed his perception of Desdemona so that he condemns her as that cunning whore of Venice (4. . 88). several(prenominal) critics are of the opinion that it is jealousy that has clouded his judgement thus, and argue that this must be his hamartia. However, it is evenly accomplishable that Shakespeare has given Othello the fitness of character that Aristotle stated was an important feature of a tragic hero, as his authentic hamartia may be his value of the honour-shame culture which existed among European Elizabethan warriors, and is linked to the hubris common in tragic heroes.It can be argued that the shame induced by the idea of his wifes unfaithfulness results in his downfall, which Shakespeare expresses through animalistic imagery I had rather be a toad/ And have a go at it upon the vapour of a dungeon/ Than keep a corner in the thing I bask/ For others uses. Therefore, Desdemonas murder becomes an act of sacrificial love A murder whic h I thought a sacrifice (5. 2. 64) as he feels that else shell betray more men. Perhaps it is for this reason that, in his death scene, Othello says For cypher I did in hate, but all in honour (5. 2. 301) and calls himself An honourable murderer. Either way, thinkable flaws like these suggest that Othellos downfall was his own doing as much(prenominal) traits may have deter tapd him to trust Iago and murder Desdemona, actions which in his anagnorisis led to ingrained suffering, and caused him to commit suicide. Alternatively, Othellos impulsive and passionate character could also have contributed to his downfall, as this may have been his hamartia.This would fit the necessary consistency outlined by Aristotle, as the homogeneous passion and instantaneous response can be found in his reception to Brabantio in scene 1 as in the later scenes, in his immediate reaction to Iagos suggestive statements. At first Othello responds calmly Why dost thou ask? But the more ambiguous Iago is of such questions, the more it riles Othello and Shakespeare uses cosmic imagery when Othello swears such as By heaven, Ill know thy thoughts to demonstrate the value that Othello assigns to Iagos opinions.When Iago eventually suggests that Desdemona is dishonest, Othello trusts Iago to Give him the ocular proof (3. 3. 361), and some critics may argue that this reckless decision to trust Iago is proof that Othello is impulsive, causing him to make foolish decisions. It is for this reason that he accepts Iagos score of Cassios dream as the ocular proof even though Iago admits Tis a shrewd doubt, though it be but a dream Othello immediately reacts Ill tear her all to pieces (3. 3. 433).Shakespeare then uses unlit and malignant imagery to show Othellos passionate rage with phrases such as Arise subdued vengeance and tyrannous hate Such imagery would have been significant to an Elizabethan audience, as they considered the saturation white to symbolise purity and goodness, whe reas black had strong connotations of the devil, evil and uncleanness, thus highlighting the wickedness in Othellos disposition. Therefore, this can be used as evidence that Othello was only convinced byIagos unlikely suggestions because he was led by passion and impulse, being Perplexed in the extreme by rage, instinctively trusting Iago. The motif of blood that Shakespeare includes supports this O, blood, blood, blood (3. 3. 452) as it has connotations of violence, therefore foreshadowing the violence of the final act, in which the motif is repeated by Desdemona Some bloody passion shakes your very frame showing the alliance between Othellos hamartia and Desdemonas murder.On the other hand, it can be argued that Othellos downfall was not his own doing. In Act 3 scene 3, Shakespeare first suggests that Othello truly doubts Desdemona when he says, And yet how record erring from itself- (3. 3. 229) because he thinks that being white, Desdemona would prefer a white man like Cassio to himself. Such racial insecurities are highlighted in Othellos character throughout the nobble, and may be the reason behind the labor that he takes to impress people through his speech and experiences.However this line implies that Othellos doubt in Desdemona were the result of racial insecurities, and whilst they could be singular to him, the prejudices that existed against Moors in the Elizabethan era, and in the play suggest otherwise. Queen Elizabeth complained in 1601 of the great numbers of Negars and Blackamoors which are crept into this realm, 1 a feeling also expressed in the play when Othello is condemned as an old black ram (1. 1. 89) and a Barbary horse (1. 1. 111). Such animalistic metaphors emphasise the first-class honours degree opinion that Elizabethans had of Blackamoors, which may have been the root of Othellos downfall.Similarly, the unconventionality of Othellos marriage to Desdemona rebelled against Elizabethan ideology, being turnabout to nature as cri tic Karen Newman put it, which presented an obstacle in itself. Their marriage broke the natural recite causing chaos and consequently, as in most tragedies, this chaotic force had to be destroyed for rescript to be restored. Such ideals may be evidence that the couples ruin was inevitable, as to an Elizabethan audience, they symbolised the unnatural, chaotic force which must be overthrown.Alternatively, it is equally possible that although Othello had many flaws, it was Iago who acted as a accelerator by exposing them, thus causing Othellos downfall. Shakespeare frequently alludes to this through recurring motifs which show Iagos superpower of corruption, the first of these being poison. For example, when plotting, Iago refers to poison when he says Ill pour pestilence into his ear (2. 3. 346), and then in the final scene, Lodovico summarises the 3 corpses as poisons sight, thus demonstrating the link between Iagos manipulation and the vow of Othello and those around him.Shake speare builds upon this manipulation through the motif of turning, as Iago vows to turn her virtue into pitch (2. 3. 350), in the same way that Othello turns Turk through the metaphor in his final speech, an turbaned Turk traduced the state And smote him thus (5. 2. 349-52), and is evidence of Iagos success in turning Othello from a General into an enemy of the state. Similarly, the black and white imagery of virtue and pitch is repeated by Othello himself when referring to Desdemonas reputation begrimed and black/As mine own face. However, begrimed implies that both characters are stained, but as Desdemona is innocent, and Othellos inherited ethnicity determines his skin colour, the parable could relate to Iagos manipulation, and the darkness that he has brought upon the couple. This is mirrored by the transformation of Othellos language at one time grand verse depicting his former successes becomes sinister and dark, with animalistic imagery of goats, monkeys, toads, and poisono us snakes, and diabolic metaphors for Desdemona such as fair devil, which liken his language to that of Iago.These changes are evidence of the vital role of Iago in Othellos downfall, suggesting that Othellos flaws, although numerous, may not have been fatal. It is for this reason that the phrase Perplexed in the extreme in Othellos final soliloquy, can take on a double meaning, as although Othellos passionate emotions of jealousy, rage, and shame clouded his judgement, Iagos ability to manipulate, which Shakespeare has emphasised through his use of repeated motifs and imagery, could have been the other vital factor.It was this combination that influenced Othello to make the fatal and mistaken decision that Iagos suspicions were correct and consider that his honour would be regained if he took vengeance upon Desdemona. Iago was only successful because of Othellos hidden flaws, but equally Othellos flaws were deeply buried within him, allowing him to become a General of the Venetian army, proving that they were not fatal, but aroused by skilful manipulators like Iago. 1584 words Bibliography 1 = http//www. suite101. om/content/elizabeth-i-motives-for-expulsion-of-blackamoors-from-london-a248507 A. C. Bradley (1904) Shakespearian Tragedy, New York Palgrave Macmillan rim & Kent (2008) AQA AS English Literature B, Cheltenham Nelson Thornes Marian Cox (2003) AS/ A-Level Student Text Guide, Othello, William Shakespeare Oxfordshire Phillip Allan Updates http//www2. cnr. edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics. hypertext markup language http//www. britaininprint. net/shakespeare/study_tools/race. html William Shakespeare (2003) Othello Edited by Norman Sanders Cambridge Cambridge University Press