Othello as an Archetypal Tragedy Essay Example

William Shakespeare is the most well-known English author; he contributed to the development of English literature with his universal themes and plot elements. Shakespeare is most renowned for works that deal with love, death, jealousy, mystery, and a variety of other topics. One important play, Othello, for example, is about an African general in the Venetian army who is motivated by jealousy and other factors, which makes Othello a typical tragedy. Archetypal literature is a form of writing that contains repeated elements which create patterns or models in the works themselves, and the play Othello falls into that category. Othello is an archetypal tragedy due to the use of the archetypal characters, specifically, Othello as the tragic hero, Iago as the villain, and Cassio as the scapegoat.

Due to the tragic figure Othello, the play Othello is considered an archetypal tragedy. A tragic hero is a figure in a dramatic tragedy who has moral and sympathetic qualities with a tragic flaw, and he/she finally suffers or loses, as depicted in the play with Othello. Othello was an innocent, loving man who began to doubt his connection with his wife, leading to jealousy, which Othello's emotions then turned into revenge, which was his fatal flaw. Othello's tragic downfall is revealed in the play when he begins to believe Iago, and decides to get revenge on his wife and Cassio for the affair that “they were having”, “Damn her, lewd minx! O, damn her!/Come, go with me apart; I will withdraw/To furnish me with some swift means of death/ For the fair devil” (Othello 3.3.527-530). This demonstrates Othello's rage at his wife and his desire for vengeance; yet, the vengeance Othello obtained was tragically wasted when he discovered his wife was innocent. Even though he was the hero of the Venetian army, Othello had several shortcomings as a protagonist in the story, as highlighted by Heilman, “[Othello] falls short of the achieved selfhood which can plunge with pride into great errors and face up with humility to what has been done” (Heilman 5). Othello had the capability of falling short in various areas, one of which was his judgment. Othello's bad judgment caused him to believe his wife was having an affair, and he embarrassed himself when he killed her, once he realized she was innocent. One of the factors that contributed to Othello being an archetypal tragedy was the fact that the main character, Othello, was lacking in various areas, as well as his weakness, jealousy; all of these factors combined to turn Othello into a tragedy.

Secondly, Iago's role as the play's villain aided in the development of this archetypal tragedy. Iago, as the antagonist, played a crucial part in the development of the play. Iago is an iconic figure because his role is mythological due to the fact that he is a man obsessed with power and control who has allowed his desire to dictate his life. Iago had a seductive style and a "long reputation of honesty," according to Heilman, and this honesty had helped define how other characters perceived him. In Othello, many characters knew him for his honesty; he was known to be trustworthy, and this honesty was utilized to manipulate other characters. Iago had duped Othello's tragic hero into believing that his wife was having an affair with Cassio and that Cassio was a dishonest lieutenant. Iago’s strong emotions and hatred helped shaped Iago’s plan and this can be shown through A.C Bradley, “[Iago] will make his enemy suffer a jealousy worse than his own; or an ambitious man determined to ruin his successful rival-endowed with unusual ability and cruelty” (Bradley 1). Bradley's comments served to explain Iago's nature as well as his wicked side. Because a tragedy is defined by the protagonists' downfall at the hands of a villain, Iago was the ideal antagonist to help frame this play as a tragedy. Since there was no poetic justice shown in the play to Iago, it was one of the elements that helped shape the play Othello as an archetypal tragedy. The play includes a stage direction to indicate the last time Iago was referenced, which was his fleeing, “Exit Iago” (Othello 5.2.277). Because he wasn't given the complete penalty for his crimes, this was the final time Iago was fully present in the play, and because the villain was not getting punished for his actions, it helped form the play as an archetypal tragedy.

Finally, Cassio as the scapegoat in Othello helped shape this play to be an archetypal tragedy. A scapegoat is a character who is blamed for events despite being blameless. Cassio was accused of a variety of things, including having relationships with women, and exploiting them, as well as being dismissed by Othello due to a brawl started by Iago. Desdemona's "affair" with Cassio is set up by Iago, who then manipulates Othello into wishing to murder Cassio. This was all because of Iago’s jealousy of Cassio’s “daily beauty in his life” (Bradley 5). The villain's envy stemmed from the fact that Cassio had the "perfect life," and Iago's jealousy had harmed Cassio's reputation, which had been tarnished in Othello's eyes. After Cassio was drunk, Othello had fired Cassio because of his disrespectful behavior. “I love thee/ But never more be an officer of mine”

(Othello 2.2.241-242). This was a remark made by Othello, who fired Cassio due to his inappropriate behavior, which was prompted by Iago, and Cassio was dismissed as a result. Cassio played a role in shaping this tragedy, since he was an innocent man who had been accused for spurious reasons, causing him to lose favor with the other characters. 

In conclusion, Othello is the tragic hero, Iago is the villain, and Cassio is the scapegoat, all of which contribute to the play's status as an archetypal tragedy. Due to Othello’s tragic flaw, which was jealousy, he had his emotion take over which affected his outcome with a tragic and upsetting ending in the eyes of the reader. Iago's envy and fixation with power contributed to this play's status as an archetypal tragedy because, as the villain and antagonist, he helped shape the play's finale and storyline. Finally, Cassio's accusation, despite his innocence, rendered him a scapegoat and an innocent man whose reputation was tarnished as a result of his being blamed. All of these individuals contributed to the play's iconic tragedy; the characters were seen through a lens and portrayed in great detail, which shaped the play.