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Othello

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

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Othello

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  1. Othello Flawed Hero

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

  3. 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

  4. 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”

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

  6. 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.

  7. 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?

  8. 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)

  9. 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

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