Othello As The Hero And Villain - 2002 Words

â€Å"Othello has a propensity to jealousy and possesses a weak character† FR Leavis, 1952 To what extent do you agree with this view? Remember to include in your answer relevant comment about Shakespeare’s dramatic methods. There are two opposing views of Othello as the hero and villain that have dominated criticisms of Othello. One school of thought suggests that Othello is a noble hero who is brought down by a devil, whose actions cannot be explained absolutely. Others may view Othello as a naive fool who is less than (a moor) the erudite Venetians, which audiences in Shakespearean period may agree with. Opponents of this view, see Iago as cunning, describing the villain as a worldly realist who exploits Othello’s hamartia of jealousy for†¦show more content†¦Othello’s nobility can be seen in act 1, but he regresses as the play goes on. After Othello testifies his love for Desdemona, the duke says: â€Å"I think this tale would win my daughter too†. This shows that if he had a daughter, he would consent to Othello marrying her too. This proves how noble Othello, he can make himself accepted by those of high ranking. Furthermore, even Iago who hates Othello, has a vendetta against him and seeks to destroy him, calls him noble. This can be seen in act 2 where Iago says; â€Å"the moor howbeit that I endure him not, is of a constant, loving, noble nature, and I dare think he’ll prove to Desdemona a most dear husband†. The use of the positive language depicts Othello’s noble character impeccably which verifies that Othello is a nobleman who is too virtuous, seen by most to have a propensity to jealousy. However, in act 3 Othello begins to lose his nobility to jealousy. Desdemona says; â€Å"but my noble moor is true of mind and made of no such baseness as jealous creatures are, it were enough to put him to ill thinking.† The use of the word ‘moor’ could be depicted a sign of lack of respect from Desdemona to Othello, as it was a racist slur in this time period. The quote also says, ‘jealous creatures’ which links with Iago’s quote ‘the green-eyed monster’. This could further prove that Othello is viewed as a creature/monster to the two, due to his race, as the use of imagery to describe jealousy, personifies it. A Shakespearian audience couldShow MoreRelatedConventions of a Shakespeare Tragedy1189 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeare tragedy follows the same conventions. Some of the conventions are tragic hero with a tragic flaw, anti-hero, tragic fall, fate, and supernatural. A convention is something in Shakespeare that has a certa in effect. The tragic hero always has a tragic flaw. A tragic hero cannot be a hero unless he has a tragic flaw. 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