While Othello, Written by William Shakespeare was a long read, I felt intrigued and captivated throughout the whole play. In class the other day I was dedicated the job of analysing the plot of the play Medea. Because of this I found myself paying extreme attention to the plot while reading the play Othello.
Othello had very structured plot with a clear beginning, middle and end. However, the key to a tragic play is that plot creates events that are fearful and pathetic. The best example of where Shakespeare’s shapes a fearful event is in the ending when Othello comes to the realization that Desdemona is innocent. I personal was shocked and felt the fear Othello must have felt when he was delivered this information. After this scene Othello begins weep and cry over his mistakes. This also gives a clear message of a pathetic, helpless character.
A tragic play according to Aristotle is meant to situate around one character. Shakespeare does not conform to this element as several characters play an important part in the play. Igao and Othello are the two dominate characters while it can be argued that both Cassio and Desdemona play vitual roles.
I feel that analysing the plot while I read the play, made it for a more exciting read as I tried to predict what would happen next.
I also noticed there were a handful of characters that played a prominent role in this play. I found it interesting that many of these characters did not remain constant and constantly changed throughout the play; something that Aristotle did not endorse. For example, I noticed myself paying close attention to how Othello transformed from an strong and innocent individual into an easily influenced murderer throughout the play.
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