There are two ways to deal with any situation: to react and to respond. Reacting to a situation is acting on emotions without any thought as to what the consequences may be of the reaction. Responding to a situation is simply thinking through it instead of acting on impulse. It is evident the in the beginning of the play Othello responded to situations. When being questioned about his secret marriage to Desdemona, Iago prompted him to hide Those are the raised father and his friends. You are best to go in (I.ii.29-30). But Othellos prestigious character prevented him from doing so. Othello responded Iagos suggestion to hide from Brabantio by saying Not I. I must be found. My parts, my title, and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly. Is it they? (I.ii.31-33). Which in turned added to the fire that brews inside of Iago throughout the play.
People often describe Othello as the tragic hero. Firstly, a definition for tragic hero needs to be established. I have interpreted the term tragic hero to be someone who is a regular hero in a piece of literature (or real life even) whose life has come to an end by the hand of their enemy or in a common accident. But a tragic hero is not someone who kills a civilian or someone completely innocent throughout the play then kills himself. Philip Burton author of The Sole Voice said Three of Shakespeares tragic heroes-Romeo, Othello, Antony-are destroyed as a result of their great love of a woman, and all three commit suicide. This may be morally wrong but it is artistically right. When their loved one is lost, so are they (332-333). I have multiple issues and disagree with this quote. Firstly as I have established before, I do not believe Othello is a tragic hero because of the reasons I have stated above. Second the reason his loved one was lost was because he was completely lost and tangled in Iagos twisted web of lies before he even planned to kill her. He was lost in Iagos mass manipulation of his common sense. So to say when their loved one is lost, so are they (Burton 332-333) is a reach.
To really understand Othellos hamartia, we must understand the person behind his hamartia: Iago. I have defined Iago as many things: the genius mastermind, the psychopathic villain or the architect behind the fall of Othello. It was Iago like a neurosurgeon who cut open Othellos brain, took out what he didnt see fit, and put in what he wanted in there which was what it took for Othello to carry out Iagos plot. Iagos fixation on the destruction of the decent, respectable, high-class things is the motor behind his boat. Similar to another person or being, Iagos main goal is to wreak havoc on people with superior or beautiful intentions and to destroy all others in the path of their goal. Of course I am talking about Satan, and the idea of Iago being the Satan of this play. As Iago stated in the first conversations he has with Iago I am not what I am(I.i.67). Clearly that is the one of the prime connections between Iago and Satan. In order for the devil to win the souls of men, he of course cannot appear in his natural state and say hey, I am the devil so listen to me and do what I tell you to do. He must come in a form that is familiar to us so we are drawn to listen. This is exactly what Iago does throughout the play. Iago appears as a friend to Othello instills the thought in Othellos head that his wife is cheating on him, knowing that Othellos pride will be hurt because he is of such high-status in the society, and knowing that Othello would be hurt because he loves Desdemona. Stanley Edgar Hyman, author of Iago Some Approaches to the Illusion of his Motivation said it in a way which I must agree with on all levels. Hyman stated in his book that the quote I am not what I am(I.i.67) is not only the stage villains revelation of his duplicity; its deeper meaning is that this villain is Satan in disguise (Hyman 29). To influence Othello to the path he wanted him on, Iago had to put on a performance as a friend, and not a foe; as the world famous Lucifer does every day.
Now that Iago is better understood, we can indulge into Othellos hamartia. I think Othellos hamartia was his susceptibility to lies, being nave, not going to his wife right away and asking her if she has been unfaithful to him. Strange as it is, Othello throughout the majority of the play up until the end considered Iago honest, and referred to him as honest Iago. If Othello simply picked up the subtle clues that Iago hinted (whether on purpose or not is unclear to me) that he could possibly betraying Othello. My friend is dead; tis done at your request. But let her live(III.iv.490-491). Of course Othello had tunnel vision and was fixated on the thought of Cassio topping Desdemona. Othello should have said to himself well I am your friend but of course the light bulb didnt turn on and Iago is another step closer to his goal.
Heroes are people who do good for the world; a person who has distinctive moral values; a hero is a savior among men; someone who avenges the poor, or those who cannot help themselves; someone (in books and stories) that kill the villain, and save the helpless; not someone who listens to the villain, takes advice from the villain then kills his own wife; not someone who does not go to the source of what the problem seems to be; not someone who isnt the sharpest tool in the shed. A hero is simply what Othello is not. I do not see anything heroic about him at all! I believe people think because Othello is a tragic hero because he was tricked into thinking his wife cheated on him by Iago. But it was his own fault that he wasnt bright enough to ask his wife if she has slept with Cassio. There were no tragic heros in Othello, in my opinion only civilians, villains, and casualties and victims.
Works Cited
Hyman, Edgar Stanley. Iago Some Approaches to the Illusion of His Motivation. Canada: McClelland and Stewart Ltd., 1970
Burton, Philip. The Sole Voice. United States of America: Philip Burton, 1970
Shakespeare, William. Othello. United States of America: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1980
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