The Tragic Hero in William Shakespeare´s Othello

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Tragic heroes tend to have very pre-determined paths; usually making the most virtuous of characters destined to suffer. The hamartia or ‘tragic flaw’ is the typical reason the hero falls. Shakespeare was noted to be one of the best writers of tragedies, one of his most prominent to be Othello. In Othello, we find a number of tragic flaws two including pride and ambition. In William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, pride and ambition are used to identify the outcomes for the main characters in the play when seeing the resolution of the play, perceiving those who survive and those who don’t, and considering each character’s role in the turn of events.
Pride and ambition are shown in Othello, the tragic hero, and in Iago, the villain. Othello shows pride throughout the entire play. When Iago tells Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, that Othello took Desdemona, Othello is proud. He is proud of his status, proud of taking Desdemona as his bride, and he is blinded by pride when he kills himself. Othello had false ambition when he went to kill Desdemona though. He killed her because he was blinde...

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