Study Document
...Macbeth Thesis Statement
Shakespeare’s Othello is a tragic hero according to the definition of Aristotle. First, he is a man of noble stature. Second, he is good—but not perfect—and his fall is directly attributable to his own guilty actions. Third, his fall is tragic—the combination of his greatness and his own responsibility in causing his own fall. Fourth, the misfortune Othello suffers is enormous and due to the fact that he himself is larger than life. Fifth, the fall that Othello suffers does come with an increase of awareness—self-knowledge that restores a bit of his wisdom and nobility before the curtain falls; he exits not cursing his fate but taking responsibility for his own crimes and acknowledging the justice delivered upon himself. Sixth, the play achieves a cathartic effect by arousing pity and fear in the audience in which the emotions are purified or purged; instead of feeling depressed by what……
References
Bates, C. (1997) ‘Shakespeare’s Tragedies of Love’, Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Tragedy, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Bradley, A. (1951). Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth. London: Macmillan.
Hallstead, R. N. (1968). Idolatrous Love: A New Approach to Othello. Shakespeare Quarterly, 19(2), 107-124.
Johnson, G. & Arp, T. (2018). Perrine’s Literature. Boston, MA: Cengage.
Kirsch, A. (1978). The Polarization of Erotic Love in ‘Othello’. The Modern Language Review, 73(4), 721-740.
Schaper, E. (1968). Aristotle's catharsis and aesthetic pleasure. The Philosophical Quarterly (1950-), 18(71), 131-143.
Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). The tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice. Retrieved from http://shakespeare.mit.edu/othello/full.html
We have over 150,000+ study documents to help you.
Sign Up for FREE