In the play written by William Shakespeare entitled Macbeth, one character in particular named Duncan is indeed an interesting fellow. He first appears in Act One, Scene Two, and praises Macbeth for defeating Macdownwald. There are many ways to describe him, as he seems to be a good but foolish person, a good king, and a poor judge of other people’s character. These characteristics are painfully obvious throughout the play until Duncan is murdered by Macbeth. Duncan plays an important role in the play, as he shows how power-hungry Macbeth is throughout the tragedy.
While it may seem, that the tragedy of Othello was caused by the evil villain Iago, I believe that he was not the only one to blame. Although Iago played a big role in destroying his enemy, it was Othello’s character flaws that led himself to his own downfall. It is because of Othello’s gullibility, lack of trust in others, insecurity, and jealousy that he becomes a victim of his own tragedy. Othello is a very gullible person, and it is because of his gullibility that he is easily tricked into this situation by Iago. There many points in the play that show just how gullible Othello is***He trusted Iago; even after realizing Iago had a “monstrous” plan in mind Othello still trusted him, in 3.3.106-107 Othello says “by heaven, thou echoest me, As if there were some monster in thy thought.” Othello suspects Iago of having an agenda, in 3.3.118-119 when he asks Iago why he is weighing his words so carefully before he speaks, “And for I know thou’rt full of love and honesty and weig’st thy words before giv’st them breath.” In this quote we can see that Othello is on to Iago, he realizes how careful Iago is and even gets the feeling that maybe he is hiding something from him but what does he do?
Othello: A Tragic Hero Othello is the epitome of a tragic hero. He starts out as a rather respectable and rational General, but was eventually consumed by jealousy and anger. A tragic hero must start out high in power and have tragic flaws that lead him to ultimately a tragedy. Othello’s tragic flaw is that he is easily manipulated, leading him to trust the wrong people. The play begins by showing the readers that Othello is a noble General.
His ideas are deemed “dangerous,” “hare-brained,” and “uncertain” confirming that honour is not confined to valorous fighting. It is thus Hal who emerges as an optimal marriage of courage, intelligence and connection to the people. Encapsulating the best of both societies, Hal earns ‘grace’ and a ‘princely tongue’ as he grows into the archetypal leader England requires. Defeating his nemesis Hotspur in battle, Hotspur’s final words “thy wound my thoughts worse than thy sword my flesh,” which exacerbate his incompetence as he values honour, an intangible concept, above his own livelihood. Contrasting Hotspur’s desolate view of life and humanity, Hal remarks “two stars keep not their motion in one sphere” identifying his values, and leadership superior to that of Hotspurs, as he
Benevolent Actions Turned Calamitous In Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing, Don Pedro’s seemingly generous gestures all end in disastrous fashion for himself. In this classic play of young love and misfortune, Don Pedro, also referred to as “the Prince,” is the noblest character in the social pecking order of the play. Even one his friends, Benedick, though equal in wit, always defers to him and his beliefs because his position depends upon his favor. Don Pedro is the highly trusted individual among the other characters in the story. Don Pedro has power and he is well aware of it; whether or not he takes advantage of this power is up for debate.
The hero must have a reversal of fortune brought by the hero’s tragic flaw although the downfall will not be a complete loss. Near the end of the play the hero will gain some sort of self-knowledge or have a sense of realisation in which the audience will somewhat feel satisfied. In order to have a tragedy, as Aristotle said, feeling Catharsis (feeling sympathy and making a link with the character) is also very important as this helps us cleanse our emotions through the ending. An example to demonstrate what Aristotle’s definition of a ‘tragic hero’ is Othello. In the beginning of the Othello, we feel an immediate connection with him as we distinguish that he is an honourable man and also very noble.
Statement: ''According to Aristotle, the tragic hero should not be entirely good nor evil. Instead, he should possess a fatal flaw, which will incite pity and fear in the audience. Critics are divided about Othello. Some feel that he is flawless, while others think that he is too easily moved to jealousy. What is your view on the matter?''
The exceptional range of The Bard’s works makes it difficult to define them and even a closer look at most of his plays will not expose things in black and white. Nevertheless, one of Shakespeare’s most admirable tragedies is fairly clear, but still, there is an ambivalent aspect to it, carried out by its main characters: a tragic hero and a villain in the same person; an apparently cruel woman that finishes being consumed by her own guilt. Their actions are truthfully appalling, but the audience may not help to feel compassionate by the afflicted state of their souls. All set in an atmosphere of darkness and darkness is probably the best word to talk about Macbeth, the last and perhaps the most obscure of the four “great tragedies” (KERMODE, 1997, p. 1355). But in order to understand the elements that make Macbeth, it is important to analyse the concepts of tragedy.
Flaws and Weaknesses Presented in Macbeth In the play Macbeth Shakespeare presents the overspreading influence of evil over the sinister and ambitious minds which lead them to committing the most villainy and valour act; this act does not only lead to victory but it affects man, the state also the state and Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s relationship. Shakespeare also provides the essential morality which encourages their development in order to bring things back to normal. It shows that Shakespeare has illustrated the change of a good person to a ghastly figure. The effect of evil I Lady Macbeth is also closely examined. In Macbeth, Shakespeare transfers the evil from the villains to the hero and the heroine.
Othello – Downfall Othello: Despite being heavily influenced by Iago, Othello is still responsible for his own actions. Iago planted a seed of jealousy in Othello’s head which, fuelled by Othello’s unwavering trust in Iago and his own insecurities, led to Othello’s tragic downfall. Othello was respected by many noble and educated people as a leader and commander in battle. However it seems to be more of a grudging respect as Othello is often referred to by his race, colour and physical characteristics then by his name. “The moor...black ram...thick lips...” In the beginning of the play Othello is so confident in Desdemona’s love for him that he would give his own life if she said otherwise.