The Analysis of Othello as Tragic Hero

Jealousy is like poison, the effects may be minor at first, but the result is always unpleasant. Ironically, Othello’s jealousy leads to him wanting to poison Desdemona. His jealousy and Iago’s manipulation in this passage is what lead to the final events in the falling action of the play. In fact, the passage utilizes multiple literary devices such as dramatic techniques, characterization, and themes to gradually lead the reader to the ending of the play.

Dramatic techniques in this passage are important due to the fact that they give the reader insight into what will happen next. One example of a dramatic technique used in this passage is the foreshadowing of Desdemona’s death. When Othello says “Ay, let her rot and perish and be damned tonight for she shall not live!” (IV, i ,178-179), it informs the reader that Othello does not want Desdemona live any longer. Another example of foreshadowing in this passage is when Iago says “And for Cassio, let me be his undertaker. You shall hear more by midnight.”(IV, i, 206-207), which foreshadows that he will be attempting to kill Cassio. Another dramatic device being used in this passage is hamartia, a Greek word for fault or error. Othello’s hamartia in this passage is that he believes Iago and Cassio were having a conversation about Desdemona, and he has finally been taken over by his jealousy. As a result, he vows to murder Cassio and Desdemona. In fact, his first line of this passage is “How shall I murder him, Iago?”(IV, i 167), which proves that he wishes to murder Cassio. Othello’s mistake in this passage is the reason why Desdemona dies because he believes that he finally has enough evidence that she is unfaithful, even though he is wrong.

Characterization is the final literary device that is used in the passage. Since this passage lies in the falling action of the play, the characters don’t usually develop any further but instead stick with their current characteristics. In this passage, Iago acts concerned for Othello when he breaks the news about the handkerchief to him. He tries to side with Othello by saying things that are true to Othello’s thoughts such as “She’s the worse for all this.” (IV, i, 188), and “O, ‘tis foul in her!” (IV, i, 197) to further convince Othello that Desdemona is bad for what she has done and that what he decides to do will be justified. Othello’s characteristics do show in this passage as well, especially his love for Desdemona. Even though he suspects that Desdemona is cheating on him and he is mad at her, he still talks about her as if she was innocent. For example, in lines 184-187 of Act IV scene i, Othello says “Hang her! I do but say what she is: so delicate with her needle, an admirable musician! O she will sing the savageness out of a bear! Of so high and plenteous wit and invention!” ( IV, i , 184-187). This tells the reader that Othello is angry because such a perfect person is capable of cheating on him and is why Othello is hesitant when he strangles her later in the play. Iago’s deceptive nature is also present in this passage. Near the end of the passage, Iago displays his false loyalty to Othello by providing Othello with ideas by saying “Do it not with poison; strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated.”(IV, i, 203-204) which benefit him while gaining Othello’s trust by saying “And for Cassio, let me be his undertaker. You shall hear more by midnight.”(IV, i, 206-207). Iago’s deceptive nature causes other characters to trust him until the ending of the play.

Themes play a large role in telling the story in Othello. Understanding the themes within Othello can allow the reader to view the story in a different way. Certain themes within this passage help advance the story and reveal what is about to happen. These themes include manipulation, jealousy, and gender. Manipulation is a theme that is present throughout the play and is used by none other than Iago. Iago’s use of manipulation in this passage is clever, as he constantly speaks lines that make will irritate Othello. Iago says things such as “Did you perceive how he laughed at his vice?” (IV, i, 168), “did you see the handkerchief?” (IV, i, 170), and “Yours by this hand! And to see how he prizes the foolish woman your wife: she gave it him, and he hath giv’n it his whore.'(IV, i, 172-174) in order to make Othello mad at Cassio’s actions leading him to say “I would have him nine years a-killing!”(IV, i, 175) to express his anger. Jealousy is another important theme in the passage. In fact, Othello’s jealousy is what lead to him being a tragic hero in the first place. In the passage, Othello expresses his jealousy in line 196, where he says “I will chop her into messes! Cuckold me!”(IV, i, 196) which shows that he is now certain that Desdemona is cheating on him, and with that evidence, his jealousy becomes anger and hatred. Furthermore, hate is an important theme to consider in this passage as well. As mentioned previously, Othello’s jealousy became hatred. He is angry and hates Desdemona and Cassio for betraying him. His hatred is what finally made Othello say “Get me some poison, Iago, this night. I’ll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again - this night, Iago” (IV, i , 200,202), letting the reader know that he no longer wishes to have her beauty mess with his mind again.

In conclusion, Othello’s own jealousy and Iago’s manipulative speech is what leads the story into the final events of the falling action. This is done through literary devices such as dramatic techniques to foreshadow Desdemona’s death and Cassio’s injury, characterization to fully develop the characters to fit the final segment of the play, and themes which develop the play itself. It really is miraculous that the stars were aligned so perfectly for Iago. However, without such miracles, the story of Othello may have never come to be.