Othello Character Analysis: Hero or Not

Othello hero or antihero? In Othello character analysis the author will answer this question.  To this day, storytelling has remained an important human tradition due to its ability to entertain and instruct the audience. From movies to classic literature, stories can teach us to empathize with others, convey universal moral truths, or act as a commentary on human nature and the eternal struggle between good and evil inherent in the human condition. While most stories present characters on either side of the battle with clear-cut distinctions between hero and villain that are meant to be viewed as opposites on the spectrum of ethics and morality as well as teach us about the forces that motivate thoughts and actions, the dividing line between good and evil is not always so clearly defined. Additionally, such is the complexity of human nature that virtue, vice, heroism and villainy can easily co-exist in a single individual at any given time. 

In the case of Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice, Othello has traditionally been portrayed as a Tragic Hero, someone good, noble, and brave, who through manipulation and a fatal error in judgment is doomed to a tragic end. Through a more critical analysis of Othello’s words and actions, a more complex picture emerges of the duality inherent in Othello’s personality, one that falls more in line with that of an antihero, a man whose reputation of nobility often coincides with that of a less than noble character. A man who, beneath his noble façade, displays early indications of the monster inherent in the man.

Yet, despite these noble and virtuous qualities, the play opens with descriptions of Othello’s character that provide early glimpses into a man who, beneath his noble and reputable appearance, shows an obstinate and headstrong disposition:

Three great ones of the city,

In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,

Off-capped to him; and by the faith of man,

I know my price, I am worth no worse a place.

But he, as loving his own pride and purposes,

Evades them with a bombast circumstance

Horribly stuffed with epithets of war,

And, in conclusion,

Nonsuits my mediators.

While one could easily dismiss this statement as another one of Iago’s machinations, the audience can further see a tendency towards the willful and prideful behavior described by Iago echoed in the actions of Othello himself through the events surrounding his marriage to Desdemona. Having stolen away in the dead of night, Desdemona effectively elopes with the “Moor” without her father’s consent or knowledge. Considering how Othello describes that “her father loved me, oft invited me, / Still questioned me the story of my life / From year to year”, this elopement shows a disrespect and disregard for established rules and gives the sense that Othello ultimately feels at home acting impulsively despite convention.

In fact, regardless of his reputation for integrity and the close relationship he shared with Brabantio, Othello instead displays little concern for his part in the hijacking of Brabantio’s daughter, displaying a sense of entitlement, boasting “Let him do his spite. / My services which I have done the seigniory / Shall out-tongue his complaints” “and my demerits / May speak unbonneted to as proud a fortune / As this that I have reached”. In this way, Othello essentially treats his seizure of Desdemona as spoils of war, having stolen her away from her father under the cover of darkness and enacting a betrayal akin to piracy. This sense that Desdemona is a possession that can be claimed by Othello is not only reiterated by Iago who stated “Faith, he tonight hath boarded a land carrack. / If it prove lawful prize, he’s made forever” but later lamented by Othello himself in Act 3 when he states “O curse of marriage / That we can call these delicate creatures ours / And not their appetites!”.

While throughout Act 1 and Act 2, Othello ultimately enjoys his stature as a classic literary hero, esteemed by the Venetian senate and exhibiting a commendable degree of self-control in his responses to the charges of witchcraft and magic brought against him by Brabantio, this is also where the audience first gains glimpses into aspects of Othello’s character that are more fully brought to light in the later stages of the play. For example, Othello’s speech to the Venetian senate provides insight into a character who beneath a carefully crafted image of bravery, nobility, and humility often displays the less than noble character flaws of self-importance, pride, and vanity. Despite representing himself as “Rude I am in my speech, / And little blessed with the oft phrase of peace” and promising “I will a round unvarnished tale deliver”, Othello delivers a very eloquent and varnished tale demonstrating a level of self-importance contradictory to the image he conveys when he refers to his “noble and approved good masters”. Furthermore, Othello clearly identifies himself as a person of importance who is worthy of recognition due to his trials, travails and achievements as he presents himself as a worldly and knowledgeable adventurer with stories notable for capturing the mind and hearts of those who hear them.

While Othello’s use of language shows an intelligent and articulate man, a talent that is sure to have helped advance his career, at times his language also shows a forceful and assertive personality, one that is prone to anger, and acts without hesitation or forethought. This can especially be seen in his conversation with Iago in Act 3 when Iago reveals his thoughts are troubled but expresses reluctance in divulging what is troubling him. In this reluctance, Othello relentlessly pursues the subject eventually demanding, “By heaven, I’ll know thy thoughts”. Moreover, as Othello’s disposition towards assertiveness and quick thinking is a trait highly prized on the battlefield, as is his self-control, the audience is only ever provided the briefest glimpse of Othello’s temper in Act 2. After the brawl between Cassio and Montano, Othello states:

Now, by heaven,

My blood begins my safer guides to rule,

And passion, having my best judgment collied,

Essays to lead the way. Zounds, if I stir,

Or do but lift this arm, the best of you

Shall sink in my rebuke.

As a hero, Othello is often described as a confident man, eloquent of speech, who through determination and perseverance has risen to the rank of General and who, due to a disposition towards honesty, integrity, fair-mindedness, and composure under pressure, has gained the reputation for being an inspiring and well-respected leader. Despite being different from those around him due to his race, origins, and life story, Othello has managed to surpass and overcome the challenges of his position and finds a measure of insider status in social Venice through his outstanding ability and loyalty.