Discuss Othello as a tragic hero

In Poetics, Aristotle talks of some requirements of a tragic hero. According to him, a tragic hero must come from a high position in life. He should be good but not too good or perfect. He must commit a crime. By committing that crime, he makes a fault. By making that fault his lifestyle falls from happiness to suffering. He must arouse pity and fear in the mind of the readers. William Shakespeare takes Othello as a tragic hero in the tragedy, Othello. He possesses some heroic qualities which make him a tragic hero despite his jealousy. Actually, the hero of a Shakespearean tragedy is invariably an exceptional person. He stands in a high position. He fulfills the basic requirements of a tragic hero. His downfall is tragic and arouses pity and fear in our minds. Othello is responsible for his tragedy. He was a victim of credulity and jealousy. A tragic hero should be good but not too good. In the same way, Othello is a tragic hero is a victim of credulity and jealousy. Being influenced by the logo's intrigues, he commits a crime that is he kills his beloved wife, Desdemona. According to Shakespeare's concept, the tragic hero himself is responsible for the tragedy. In the tragedy Othello, Othello not only falls from his position but also suffers moral degradation. His harshness is also responsible for his downfall and degradation. His nobility, magnanimity, artlessness, straightforwardness, boundless confidence, intense love, love for honor, simplicity, etc bring his downfall. Othello is not free from faults. He has some tragic flaws. The tragic flaws are his nobility of heart, simplicity, frankness, honesty, credulity, rashness, lack of judgment, his inexperience in the ways of the world, absolute trust, and his confidence. These tragic flaws are the cause of his downfall as a tragic hero. A tragic hero must arouse pity and fear in the minds of the readers or audiences. Similarly, Othello arouses our pity and sympathy. So he is a tragic hero.

Thus Othello becomes an authentic tragic hero from the Aristotelian point of view. He is a man of high rank. He is neither too good nor too bad. He is a moderate sort of man. But he is extremely confident and proud. So, he meets his tragic flaw for his pride. He can draw pity and fear into the mind of the readers. Therefore, he is an ideal tragic hero even from the modern viewpoint. And his inability to understand his subordinates, his over-passionate love for Desdemona, and his quickness of taking decisions without investigation are mainly responsible for his tragedy.