Othello and Heroism Essay - 2039 Words

Othello and Heroism In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello the audience finds heroism exhibited not only by the hero, the Moor, but also by other characters in the drama. A. C. Bradley, in his book of literary criticism, Shakespearean Tragedy, defines a woman character, Desdemona, as a hero in the play from the very outset: There is perhaps a certain excuse for our failure to rise to Shakespeare’s meaning, and to realize how extraordinary and splendid a thing it was in a gentle Venetian girl to love Othello, and to assail fortune with such a ‘downright violence and storm’ as is expected only in a hero. It is that when first we hear of her marriage we have not yet seen the Desdemona of the later†¦show more content†¦(145) At the outset of the play Iago persuades the rejected suitor of Desdemona, Roderigo, to accompany him to the home of Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, in the middle of the night. Once there the two awaken the senator with loud shouts about his daughter’s elopement with Othello. In response to the noise and Iago’s vulgar descriptions of Desdemona’s involvement with the general, Brabantio arises from bed and, with Roderigo’s help, gathers a search party to go and find Desdemona. Once that Brabantio has located Othello, the general stands with heroism before the group of armed men with swords drawn, saying confidently, â€Å"Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them.† The father presses charges publicly in order to have Desdemona returned: To prison, till fit time Of law and course of direct session Call thee to answer. (1.2) The proceedings which take place before the Duke of Venice show heroism on the part of Desdemona, who stands up to her father before the body of senators with whom he has worked for years, but in a respectful manner: â€Å"My noble father, / I do perceive here a divided duty.† She elects to remain with the Moor. The general himself, in narrating how he wins the hand of Desdemona, gives testimony to his own valor during many battles. He concludes: â€Å"She loved me for the dangers I hadShow MoreRelated Heroism in Othello Essay example1634 Words   |  7 PagesHeroism in Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Who are the true heroes in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello? What is their perspective on making deep sacrifice for what they believe in? Let’s find the heroes and analyze their perspective on suffering voluntarily.    Helen Gardner in â€Å"Othello: A Tragedy of Beauty and Fortune† considers Iago’s wife Emilia to be a true hero of the play because of her fearless outlook on death itself:    Emilia’s silence while her mistress lived is fully explicableRead MoreThe Weaknesses Of Othello By William Shakespeare933 Words   |  4 PagesThe Weaknesses of Othello Throughout the beginning of Shakespeare s play, Othello, the protagonist, Othello himself, is portrayed as a powerful and courageous man. 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