To what extent is Othello presented as a tragic hero in Act 1 of Othello Essay Example

To what extent is Othello presented as a tragic hero in Act 1 of Othello Paper The famous Philosopher, Aristotle, explored what exactly is a tragic hero; he said, in his own words, A man doesnt become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall. (1). Also, a man should have nobility from birth, as Aristotle says, yet Othello slowly climbed the ladder of hierarchy enabling him to stable that status as the Moor (Venetian Moor) yet he sets himself as a tragic hero because he isnt going to accepted into society due to his colour. Was his colour a conceit in a way, showing an anticlimax, foreshadowing the downfall of his status, making it less tragic? This is a mere criticism. Aristotles theories are intriguing, and I will be discussing these in detail later on in the essay. Another characteristic of a tragic hero is that the heros story must appeal to emotions. Clearly we are shown this in the first scene in act 1 where Shakespeare uses sibilance to characterise the main characters, Iago and Othello, in the play. The use of the word his automatically spits the word out in distaste. The word his is degrading for the moor, but the sibilance and the iambic pentameter in the sentence wears out his time, much like his masters ass emphatically forces the his out scornfully. We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent is Othello presented as a tragic hero in Act 1 of Othello specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent is Othello presented as a tragic hero in Act 1 of Othello specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent is Othello presented as a tragic hero in Act 1 of Othello specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The use of the article the in the moor also shows distaste as they cant even say the name. The fact that Iagos first words were Sblood gives us a vain, vivid spitting image and the vulgar language used such as the moor debase him This is an effective use of pathos as it appeals to our emotions towards Othello; this distaste helps us with not looking at the perspective, or the distorted view, of how Iago sees things. Aristotles point about appealing to emotions was correct and this is a sign of Othello being presented as a tragic hero. Iago is an allegory for the reoccurring fatal flaw in this act the fatal flaw is merely manipulation. Even though little manipulation is shown here, it is very intense. In act 1, scene two, Iago says that Roderigo prated and spoke such scurvy persuading the moor to get angry at Roderigo, yet the dramatic irony very much lies beneath these words as we know that Iago presents a fai ade or is, in other words, a representation of Janus (two faced) because Iago says, in scene 1, that he will follow him to serve my turn on him yet he goes against Roderigo now by saying that Roderigo spoke such scurvy. This fatal flow is merely a fai ade within Iago, which merely hides corruption from within, and Iago, of course, is a figure of corruption Othello is merely a tragic hero in some sense as he fell for the wrong person in terms of fraternal (male) bonds for help. This is a major fatal flaw as it showed how male companionship collapsed the foundation and made Othello a dawn fall . The quote an old black ram is tupping your white ewe can be an extended metaphor for the predatory nature of the world. Iago says that he will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at, I am not what I am which is a denotation in an interpretive sense that a crow is a symbol of society and society is predatory and everything is deceptive. This dramatic irony is there to show the audience the fatal flaw in Othello believing Iago. Iagos predatory nature on Othello can spark off other events such as paranoia which is shortly developed after Othello being calm for so long it isnt bearable so paranoia sneaks in. His calmness is shown through his first words of Tis better as it is, giving a very patient approach to the situation. Yet, we expect this to juxtapose highly towards the end of the play as we see Iago can do anything to corrupt psychological states of people by manipulation and even greater, maybe paranoia. One critic has criticised the statement that Othello is presented as a tragic hero because Othello is overly aware of his nobility (2). The critic, Leavis, says that Eloquence is a form of arrogance. In act 1, scene 2, Othellos first words are quite subtly yet Eloquent Tis better as it is. Can we, as readers, interpret this as some form of arrogance? In my opinion, the subtlety of the words can confine arrogance. Leavis is very clever in making this statement, and his statement can say Othello is not presented as a tragic hero. A sense of it was doomed before the start is shown in Act 1, scene 3, where Desdemona has her very first words and Othello and herself proclaim love to each other. The iambic pentameter is very significant and Shakespeare very cleverly used it to show love in the blank verse. Nearly all are blank verses (no rhyme but with an iambic pentameter) yet some, for example, what Desdemona says: The rites for which I love him are bereft me breaks the iambic pentameter. This may show corruption in love or the fact that love is a concept which can cause annihilation but this is merely done to show that Othello has brought it on himself so can be a tragic hero. The audience here, have a sense of urgency to relief themselves (catharsis another trait of a hero being a tragic hero). The repetition of fill your purse with money which Iago says to Roderigo makes it as though life is a stage and that all our strings are being pulled by the creator. This repetition is highly manipulative as it says therefore make money. Though, this manipulation isnt a flaw for Roderigo, as his status is nothing compared to Othello, yet later on in the acts, Othello is slowly driven into paranoia by the vehicle Iago is driving and causing hamartia (fatal flaw). The socio-historical context with Macbeths is important as they interlink and you can come to a conclusion about both of them. From both, Othello and Macbeth, it shows Shakespeare is interested in deception; at the start of Macbeth, the tragic hero is characterised by Iago, and at the start of Macbeth by the witches. It seems as though Shakespeare is allowing us too see different perceptions, through women (witches) and men (Iago and roderigo). Lady Macbeth is almost a mirror image of Iago in a distorted way as they both drive to manipulate; Lady Macbeth manipulated Macbeth to go kill the king. Shakespeare questions whether we should break the convention of men before women or not, as both are corrupted and delusional and both play a part in the tragedy of the tragic hero

Ethos, Logos, Pathos for Persuasion

Ethos, Logos, Pathos for Persuasion You may be surprised to learn that much of your life consists of constructing arguments. If you ever plead a case to your parents- in order to extend your curfew or to get a new gadget, for example- you are using persuasive strategies. When you discuss music with friends and agree or disagree with them about the merits of one singer compared to another, you are also using strategies for persuasion. Indeed, when you engage in these arguments with your parents and friends, you are instinctively using ancient strategies for persuasion that were identified by the Greek philosopher Aristotle a few thousand years ago. Aristotle called his ingredients for persuasion pathos, logos, and ethos. Persuasion Tactics and Homework When you write a research paper, write a speech, or participate in a debate, you also use the persuasion strategies mentioned above. You come up with an idea (a thesis) and then construct an argument to convince readers that your idea is sound. You should become familiar with pathos, logos, and ethos for two reasons: First, you need to develop your own skills at crafting a good argument so that others will take you seriously. Second, you must develop the ability to identify a really weak argument, stance, claim, or position when you see or hear it. Logos Defined Logos refers to an appeal to reason based on logic. Logical conclusions come from assumptions and decisions derived from weighing a collection of solid facts and statistics. Academic arguments (research papers) rely on logos. An example of an argument that relies on logos is the argument that smoking is harmful based on the evidence that, When burned, cigarettes create more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are toxic, according to the American Lung Association. Notice that the statement above uses specific numbers. Numbers are sound and logical. An everyday example of an appeal to logos is the argument that Lady Gaga is more popular than Justin Bieber because Gagas fan pages collected 10 million more Facebook fans than Biebers. As a researcher, your job is to find statistics and other facts to back up your claims. When you do this, you are appealing to your audience with logic or logos. Ethos Defined Trustworthiness is important in research. You must trust your sources, and your readers must trust you. The example above concerning logos contained two examples that were based on hard facts (numbers). However, one example comes from the American Lung Association. The other comes from Facebook fan pages. You should ask yourself: Which of these sources do you suppose is more credible? Anyone can start a Facebook page. Lady Gaga may have 50 different fan pages, and each page may contain duplicate fans. The fan page argument is probably not very sound (even though it seems logical). Ethos refers to the credibility of the person posing the argument or stating the facts. The facts provided by the American Lung Association are probably more persuasive than those provided by fan pages since the American Lung Association has been around for more than 100 years. At first glance, you might think that your own credibility is out of your control when it comes to posing academic arguments, but that is incorrect. Even if you write an academic paper on a topic that is outside your area of expertise, you can improve your credibility- using ethos to persuade- by coming across as a professional by citing credible sources and making your writing error-free and concise. Pathos Defined Pathos refers to appealing to a person by influencing his emotions. Pathos is involved in the strategy of convincing the audience by invoking feelings through their own imaginations. You appeal through pathos when you try to convince your parents of something. Consider this statement: Mom, there is clear evidence that cellphones save lives in emergency situations. While that statement is true, the real power lies in the emotions that you will likely invoke in your parents. What mother wouldnt envision a broken-down automobile perched by the side of a busy highway upon hearing that statement? Emotional appeals are extremely effective, but they can be tricky. There may or may not be a place for pathos in your research paper. For example, you may be writing an argumentative essay about the death penalty. Ideally, your paper should contain a logical argument. You should appeal to logos by including statics to support your view such as data that suggests that the death penalty does/does not cut down on crime (theres plenty of research both ways). Use Appeals to Emotion Sparingly You may also use pathos by interviewing someone who witnessed an execution (on the anti-death penalty side) or someone who found closure when a criminal was executed (on the pro-death penalty side). Generally, however, academic papers should employ appeals to emotions sparingly. A long paper that is purely based on emotions is not considered very professional. Even when you are writing about an emotionally charged, controversial issue like the death penalty, you cant write a paper that is all emotion and opinion. The teacher, in that circumstance, will likely assign a failing grade because you havent provided a sound (logical) argument. Source â€Å"Whats In a Cigarette?†Ã‚  American Lung Association,