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

'‘A man’s reference is his fate. ’ To what extent is Othello’s own causa the ca subprogram of his downf totally? According to Aristotle’s Poetics, a classical tragical hacek should be famous and prosperous, superior in some specific way, so that the reversal of fortunes or downfall, stirs up feelings within the audition of a greater intensity. Such disastrous results argon oft triggered by the dislocate of the tragic hero due to their tragic flaw or tragic flaw, which is often conjugated to hubris or excessive pride.In Shakespe ar’s Othello, as a General of the Venetian army, Othello meets these criteria, as his mistake is to trust ‘ ingenuous Iago’ and convince himself that revenge upon Desdemona provide lead to honour and success. In f piece, as with virtually tragic heroes, it is this decision which leads to his destruction. However, it is important to consider whether Othello’s revile was the inevitable res ult of the defects in his character reference or whether there were other forces, outside of his control, which lead him to his doom.If it is solely Othello’s hamartia which leads to his downfall, then it moldiness be related to the change in his cognizance of Desdemona. In sour 1, when warned by Brabantio that Desdemona whitethorn too deceive Othello, Othello retorts manic disorderately: ‘My life upon her faith! ’ The exclamation here demonstrates the dedication and trust that Othello feels towards his new wife, unless by Act 3, Othello is already beginning to uncertainness her: ‘By the world,/ I think my wife by honest, and I think she is not’ (3. 3. 389).Shakesp spindlee’s hold of cosmic imagery when Othello swears illustrates the magnitude of Othello’s fury at his own hesitation, as his judgement is normally brainish, as in Aleppo, (5. 2. 361) when he knew neighboring(a)ly to ‘smote him consequently’, as he was certain of his enemy, hardly in this case, discredit has impaired his vision and he is incertain who to trust: his new wife or ‘honest Iago’. Othello’s peripeteia occurs when he decides to trust Iago; however, the audition are surprised at this decision, as it is undecipherable what has changed his perception of Desdemona so that he condemns her as ‘that chicane whore of Venice’ (4. . 88). Some novices are of the opinion that it is green-eyed monster that has darken his judgement thence, and argue that this moldiness be his hamartia. However, it is equally possible that Shakespeare has given Othello the ‘fitness of character’ that Aristotle stated was an important feature of a tragic hero, as his true hamartia whitethorn 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 wife’s unfaithfulness results in his downfall, which Shakespeare expresses by means of animalistic imagery: ‘I had rather be a toad/ And live upon the vapour of a support/ Than keep a corner in the occasion I love/ For others’ uses’. Therefore, Desdemona’s murder becomes an act of sacrificial love: ‘A murder which I thought a sacrifice’ (5. 2. 64) as he feels that ‘else she’ll betray more men. Perhaps it is for this ground that, in his death scene, Othello says: ‘For naught I did in nauseate, but all in honour’ (5. 2. 301) and calls himself ‘An honourable receiver’. Either way, possible flaws handle these insinuate that Othello’s downfall was his own doing as such traits may start driven him to trust Iago and murder Desdemona, actions which in his anagnorisis led to complete suffering, and caused him to commit suicide. Alternatively, Othello’s impulsive and passionate nature could also have contributed to his downfall, as this may have been his hamartia.This would fit the necessary ‘ organic structure’ outlined by Aristotle, as the same passion and instantaneous response can be free-base in his reaction to Brabantio in scene 1 as in the later scenes, in his immediate reaction to Iago’s suggestive statements. At frontmost Othello responds calmly: ‘Why dost thou ask? ’ simply the more evasive Iago is of such questions, the more it riles Othello and Shakespeare uses cosmic imagery when Othello swears such as ‘By heaven, I’ll know thy thoughts’ to demonstrate the value that Othello assigns to Iago’s opinions.When Iago at long last suggests that Desdemona is dishonest, Othello trusts Iago to ‘Give [him] the ocular proof’ (3. 3. 361), and some critics may argue that this rash decision to trust Iago is proof that Othello is impulsive, causation him to make foolish decisions. It is fo r this reason that he accepts Iago’s story of Cassio’s dream as the ‘ocular proof’ even though Iago admits ‘’Tis a shrewd doubt, though it be but a dream’; Othello immediately reacts: ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces! ’ (3. 3. 433).Shakespeare then uses dark and malignant imagery to describe Othello’s passionate rage with phrases such as ‘Arise menacing vengeance’ and ‘tyrannous hate! ’ Such imagery would have been significant to an Elizabethan audience, as they considered the colour white to symbolise worthiness and goodness, whereas cruddy had strong connotations of the friction match, evil and uncleanness, thus bring out the wickedness in Othello’s disposition. Therefore, this can be used as evidence that Othello was only convert byIago’s improbable suggestions because he was led by passion and impulse, being ‘ bewilder in the extreme’ by rage, instin ctively trusting Iago. The motif of breed that Shakespeare includes supports this: ‘O, blood, blood, blood! ’ (3. 3. 452) as it has connotations of effect, therefore foreshadowing the violence of the closing act, in which the motif is iterate by Desdemona: ‘Some bloody passion shakes your very draw’ give tongue toing the connection between Othello’s hamartia and Desdemona’s murder.On the other hand, it can be argued that Othello’s 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 nature 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 Othello’s character throughout the play, and may be the reason behind the pains that he takes to impress race through his speech and experiences.However this line implie s that Othello’s doubt in Desdemona were the result of racial insecurities, and whilst they could be left(p) 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 â€Å"great numbers of Negars and Blackamoors which are crept into this realm,” 1 a feeling also evince in the play when Othello is condemned as an ‘old color ram’ (1. 1. 89) and a ‘Barbary horse’ (1. 1. 111). Such animalistic illustrations emphasise the low opinion that Elizabethans had of ‘Blackamoors’, which may have been the root of Othello’s downfall.Similarly, the unconventionality of Othello’s marriage to Desdemona rebelled against Elizabethan ideology, being ‘contrary to nature’ as critic Karen Newman put it, which presented an obstacle in itself. Their marriage bust the natural order causing chaos and consequently, as in most tragedies, this chaotic force had to be destroyed for order to be restored. Such ideals may be evidence that the couple’s 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 catalyst by exposing them, thus causing Othello’s downfall. Shakespeare frequently alludes to this through recurring motifs which show Iago’s power of corruption, the first of these being cruel substance. For example, when plotting, Iago refers to poison when he says: ‘I’ll 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 Iago’s manipulation and the plight of Othello and those around him.Shakespeare builds upon this manipulation through the motif of round, as Iag o vows to ‘turn her virtue into shift’ (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 Iago’s 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 Desdemona’s reputation: ‘begrimed and black/As mine own face. However, ‘begrimed’ implies that two characters are stained, but as Desdemona is innocent, and Othello’s inherit ethnicity determines his skin colour, the simile could relate to Iago’s manipulation, and the darkness that he has brought upon the couple. This is mirrored by the transformation of Othello’s language: formerly grand verse word-painting his former succ esses becomes sinister and dark, with animalistic imagery of goats, monkeys, toads, and poisonous snakes, and diabolic metaphors for Desdemona such as ‘fair devil’, which liken his language to that of Iago.These changes are evidence of the rattling role of Iago in Othello’s downfall, suggesting that Othello’s flaws, although numerous, may not have been fatal. It is for this reason that the phrase ‘Perplexed in the extreme’ in Othello’s final soliloquy, can take on a reprise meaning, as although Othello’s passionate emotions of jealousy, rage, and shame clouded his judgement, Iago’s 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 compounding that influenced Othello to make the fatal and mistaken decision that Iago’s suspicions were correct and believe that his honour would be regained if he took vengeance upo n Desdemona. Iago was only successful because of Othello’s surreptitious flaws, but equally Othello’s flaws were deeply bury within him, allowing him to become a General of the Venetian army, proving that they were not fatal, but aroused by honest 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) Shakespearean Tragedy, New York: Palgrave Macmillan •Beard & Kent (2008) AQA AS English lit B, Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes •Marian Cox (2003) AS/ A-Level Student textual matter Guide, Othello, William Shakespeare Oxfordshire: Phillip Allan Updates •http://www2. cnr. edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics. html •http://www. britaininprint. net/shakespeare/study_tools/race. html •William Shakespeare (2003) Othello change by Norman Sanders Cambridge: Cambridge University Press\r\n'