Heroism in Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Heroism in Othello Who are the true heroes in William Shakespeares tragic drama Othello? What is their perspective on making deep sacrifice for what they deal in? Lets find the heroes and analyze their perspective on suffering voluntarily. Helen Gardner in Othello A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune considers Iagos married woman Emilia to be a true hero of the play because of her fearless outlook on death itself Emilias silence while her working girl lived is fully explicable in terms of her character. She shares with her husband the generalizing trick and is well used to domestic scenes. The jealous, she knows, are not ever jealous for the cause only jealous for they are jealous. If it was not the handkerchief it would be something else. Why disobey her husband and risk his fury? It would not do any good. This is what men are like. But Desdemona dead sweeps away all such generalities and all caution. At this sight, Emilia though the world is a huge thing finds that there is a thing she will not do for it. By her heroic disregard for death she gives the only proof there can be of Desdemonas sinlessness the testimony of faith. (145) At the outset of the play Iago persuades the rejected suitor of Desdemona, Roderigo, to accompany him to the home of Brabantio, Desdemonas father, in the middle of the night. Once there the two fire up the senator with loud shouts about his daughters elopement with Othello. In response to the noise and Iagos vulgar descriptions of Desdemonas involvement with the general, Brabantio arises from bed and, with Roderigos help, gathers a hunting party to go and find Desdemona. Once that Brabantio has located Othello, the general stands wit... ...lling her. She dies an unsung heroine of the play, giving her life for what she believes in, namely the innocence of her lady and the guilt of her husband. The abrupt revision in her character toward the end of the play is a pleasant surprise. Despondent Othello, grief-stricken by r emorse for the tragic mistake he has made, acts heroically, following the congresswoman of Emilia. He stabs himself and dies on the bed next to the one he has wronged. WORKS CITED Gardner, Helen. Othello A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune. Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from The Noble Moor. British academy Lectures, no. 9, 1955. Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http//www.eiu.edu/multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.