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catharsis
The question of whether Catharsis takes place within the character of Othello remains in debate between A. C. Bradley and F. R. Leavis. Bradleys argument is that by Act 5, Othellos anger has passed, and sorrow has taken its place. This suggests that Othello does meet Aristotles characteristics of a tragic hero in terms of Catharsis because through this, the audience are purged of all negative emotions towards Othello. It also shows us Othellos character being purified because of the fact that by this point in the play, we generally feel sorry for Othello. Bradley says that His sufferings are so heart rendering that he stirs, in most reader, a passion of mingled love and pity. We can see an example of this when Othello says Desdemon, dead! The affectionate use of the word Desdemon suggests authenticity and adds poignancy. Bradley shares the same opinion as me on the subject of Catharsis in Othello. I believe this due to the fact that I, as a reader am able to view Othello as the audience would. So I as a reader feel that I am purged of all negative feelings towards Othello by the end of the play.
Leavis completely dismisses Bradleys argument, believing that he is Clouded by his manifestations of perfect nobility. He says that the only way in which the audience might feel any sympathy for Othello is because of the fact that Othello is strongly manipulated by Iago. Leavis does not believe that Catharsis occurs because in Othellos final speech, he talks in third person, keeping the audience at a distance, and throughout this speech, Othello is preoccupied with his emotions rather than Desdemona in her own right. We can see this when Othello says Speak of me as I am. From this we are able to see that despite the tragedy that has occurred by this point in the play, Othello is still concerned with his own losses and his reputation, rather than the loss of his beloved wife Desdemona. In light of the two main arguments for and against the idea of Othello as a tragic hero, I have drawn the conclusion that Othello, despite his traits, is indeed a tragic hero. It is true that he is egotistical, overly aware of his nobility, and he is easily manipulated and jealous to the extent that he murders his wife. But it is also blatantly obvious that he is emotionally distraught about what he does. So much to the extent that he takes his own life. Othello isnt perfect. He is a human being who suffers from faults of character as we all do. Leavis says that Othello is wrong to trust Iago, and because of this holds a lot of prejudice against him. But the fact is that we only see this fault because we witness the plot from an all seeing point of view. Without the knowledge that Iago is a deceitful villain, we would hold nothing against Othello. He was mislead, used and manipulated through his immense trust in Iago. But is trust not a virtue? It is through his utter and complete trust that Shakespeare creates a character so pure, poetic and articulate which is Othello. Othello doesnt meet all of the requirements for a tragic hero, but he does achieve most of them to a certain extent. I believe that Bradley and Leavis are both ignorant in their judgments of Othello. They both hold the same traits that Leavis associates with Othello, in the sense that there is no middle ground. Othello isnt a complete tragic hero, but he is without a shadow of a doubt a hero, who falls victim to a great tragedy which leads to his own death and the death of his wife. Does this not sound like a tragedy? I personally believe that Othello, despite all of his traits and errors is a tragic hero.