Thesis Statement
Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragic hero according to the definition of Aristotle. First, he is a man of noble stature. Second, he is good—but not perfect—and his fall is directly attributable to his own guilty actions. Third, his fall is tragic—the combination of his greatness and his own responsibility in causing his own fall. Fourth, the misfortune Othello suffers is enormous and due to the fact that he himself is larger than life. Fifth, the fall that Othello suffers does come with an increase of awareness—self-knowledge that restores a bit of his wisdom and nobility before the curtain falls; he exits not cursing his fate but taking responsibility for his own crimes and acknowledging the justice delivered upon himself. Sixth, the play achieves a cathartic effect by arousing pity and fear in the audience in which the emotions are purified or purged; instead of feeling depressed by what has been witnessed the audience is filled with compassion and awe, fear and trepidation. The language used throughout the play is appropriate and pleasurable, and the play provides the best of all tragic plots according to the Aristotelian model: it consists of a reversal and a discovery. This paper will show that Othello fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero and Shakespeare’s play adheres to the model of an Aristotelian tragedy.

Outline

I. Introduction

a. What is a Tragedy?

b. Is Othello a tragic hero?

c. Is Shakespeare’s play an Aristotelian tragedy?

II. Body

a. Elements that make Othello a tragic hero

i. He is noble

ii. He is good but flawed and commits a criminal act

iii. His fall is his own doing

iv. His fall is immense but it comes with the gaining of wisdom

b. Elements that make the play an acceptable Aristotelian tragedy

i. The play is serious and complete and imitates a dramatic action, effecting catharsis

ii. The language is pleasurable and appropriate

iii. The chief characters are noble

iv. The plot involves a change in the protagonist’s fortune

v. The fall is a result of the hero’s criminal action

vi. The plot has organic unity—events follow because of one another

vii. It has the best plot—it involves a reversal and a discovery

III. Conclusion

a. Othello is a tragic hero

b. The play meets Aristotle’s criteria for a tragedy.

Introduction

Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragic hero according to the definition of Aristotle. First, he is a man of noble stature. Second, he is good—but not perfect—and his fall is directly attributable to his own guilty actions. Third, his fall is tragic—the combination of his greatness and his own responsibility in causing his own fall. Fourth, the misfortune Othello suffers is enormous and due to the fact that he himself is larger than life. Fifth, the fall that Othello suffers does come with an increase of awareness—self-knowledge that restores a bit of his wisdom and nobility before the curtain falls; he exits not cursing his fate but taking responsibility for his own crimes and acknowledging the justice delivered upon himself. Sixth, the play can be considered an Aristotelian tragedy because it achieves a cathartic effect by arousing pity and fear in the audience—or, as Schaper (1968) explains, by purifying the emotions and purging them of any ugliness; instead of feeling depressed by what has been witnessed the audience is filled with compassion and awe, fear and trepidation. The language used throughout the play is appropriate and pleasurable, and the play provides the best of all tragic plots according to the Aristotelian model: it contains a reversal and a discovery. This paper will show, therefore, that Othello fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero and Shakespeare’s play adheres to the model of an Aristotelian tragedy.