Hello, welcome to your lesson today on Othello as a tragic hero.

My name's Miss Sutherland, and I'll be teaching you today.

In today's lesson, you are going to explore the ways in which Othello is a tragic hero.

Our first key term today is tragic hero.

A tragic hero is a central character that experiences a tragic downfall.

All of Shakespeare's tragedies involve tragic heroes.

Tragic heroes start off their plays in a noble position and end in a pitiful state.

We'll be exploring exactly how Othello is a tragic hero in today's lesson.

The next key word is hamartia.

Hamartia is a tragic hero's fatal fault or mistake that leads to their catastrophic end.

So generally tragic heroes are believed to be at fault for their own tragic end through their mistake or character fault through their hamartia.

Othello's hamartia is generally believed to be his jealousy.

The next key word is hubris.

Hubris means excessive pride or self-confidence.

Every one of Shakespeare's tragic heroes were thought to have hubris.

And the last key word is anagnorisis.

Anagnorisis is a moment of insight where the tragic hero understands their fate.

So it's the moment of the play, the tragic hero gains clarity over what has happened to them and why they've ended up in their unfortunate position.

Remember how Othello realises he was manipulated by Iago right at the end of the play in Act five, scene two.

That could be seen as his anagnorisis.

All these keywords are going to be important in helping us decide how Othello is a tragic hero.

Take a moment to jot down these keywords now.

Excellent.

In today's lesson, we'll start off by looking at the characteristics of a tragic hero.

We are then going to explore how Othello meets these characteristics and how he could be considered a typical tragic hero.

So let's start off with the characteristics of a tragic hero.

Now, can you remember the conventions of a traditional Shakespearean tragedy? Pause the video and discuss that with your partner.

Now in a traditional Shakespearean tragedy, there is a tragic hero that suffers a tragic fate because of a flaw in their character.

Now I want you to discuss how would you expect the protagonist in a Shakespearean tragedy to behave? Pause the video and discuss.

You may have said that the protagonist in a Shakespearean tragedy would start off in a noble position, perhaps make a mistake or make the wrong decision and fall from grace leading to their death or tragic downfall.

Let's go through the characteristics of a tragic hero then.

A tragic hero must have a hamartia.

What would you say is Othello's hamartia or fatal flaw? Pause the video and discuss.

Some people may argue Othello's jealousy is his hamartia.

Others may say it is his naive trust of Iago.

Another characteristic of the tragic hero is hubris, which means excessive pride.

In which scenes does Othello show his hubris? Pause the video and discuss.

Othello shows his hubris when he believes he's making a sacrifice as he kills Desdemona as if he's a godly figure.

And he also shows his hubris when he's not willing to change his mind about his wife.

Despite her claiming her innocence, Othello does not listen.

He'd rather go with what he already thinks.

We could even say that Othello's hubris may fuel his all-consuming jealousy.

Perhaps Othello's jealousy regarding Desdemona's supposed affair is so overwhelming because he fears being cuckolded.

Remember, a cuckold was a man whose wife has been unfaithful and being cuckolded was associated with being emasculated and humiliated and therefore losing honour.

So perhaps Othello's want to preserve his pride and dominance fuels his jealousy.

Another characteristic of a tragic hero is discovery and self-knowledge.

Does Othello learn a lesson over the course of the play? Is he a changed man by the end? Pause the video and discuss that question.

You may have said by the end of the play, Othello learns that he was manipulated by Iago.

He learns the true value of his wife, and he also learns that he was manipulated into jealousy.

He also becomes more aware of his outsider status.

However, any lessons he does learn are unfortunately learned too late.

The next characteristic of a tragic hero is stubbornness.

Does Othello have an opportunity to change his mind about Desdemona's fidelity? Does he take it? Pause the video and discuss that now.

You may have said that Desdemona tells Othello that she was not unfaithful to him and reassures him that she has no sins to admit to, yet he still kills her reflecting his stubbornness.

Last characteristic of a tragic hero is heroism.

Does Othello's eloquence and position as a trusted general and brave warrior make his downfall more tragic? Pause the video and discuss that.

At the beginning of the play, Othello is well respected by many and he's praised on his military merits.

People consider him a worthy general of the Venetian army.

So in that sense, we could definitely consider him a hero.

He definitely does have have the characteristic of heroism at the beginning of the play.

Arguably Othello's fall from noble warrior to disgraced villain is made more tragic due to the high regard he was once held in.

Let's check your understanding of what we've talked about so far.

Which of the following is not a characteristic you would expect to see in a tragic hero? Peripeteia, hamartia or hubris? Pause the video and think about that now.

Well done if you said peripeteia.

That is not a characteristic you would expect to see in a tragic hero.

Peripeteia is the moment of the play where the tragic hero's fortune is reversed.

So peripeteia is part of a tragedy overall.

It's not a characteristic of a tragic hero.

However, hamartia, tragic flaw and hubris, excessive pride are indeed characteristics of a tragic hero.

Well done if you got that right.

Now I want you to explain how Shakespeare portrays each of the characteristics below through his protagonist Othello.

So here are the three characteristics you'll be exploring.

Hamartia, hubris, and stubbornness.

Your job is to write an example of how they occur in our character Othello.

Remember, hamartia is a fatal flaw or mistake within a character that leads to their downfall.

Hubris means excessive pride or self-confidence.

So maybe having an exaggerated ego or regarding oneself as highly important and stubbornness is being unwilling to change your mind about something or unwilling to take someone else's perspective about something.

Pause the video and have a go at the task.

Othello's hamartia may be his jealousy, which drives him to senseless violence against his wife.

How does Othello show hubris? When Othello acts as if killing Desdemona is a sacrifice and he's preventing her from betraying more men, he shows his hubris because he believes he's a godly figure and that he's an agent of justice in that moment showing his excessive pride.

Lastly, how does Othello show stubbornness? The fact that Othello refuses to listen to Desdemona when she says she is faithful demonstrates his stubbornness because he is not willing to change his mind.

Let's move on to the second part of today's lesson where we'll explore Othello as a tragic hero.

Two pupils are discussing to what extent they believe Othello is a tragic hero.

Sam says, "Ultimately by being presented as a noble soldier to destroyed by his hamartia, Othello is a typical tragic hero.

Shakespeare uses Othello to warn audiences about falling victim to jealousy." Izzy says, "I agree to a certain extent." Izzy says, "Whilst Othello is clearly a jealous man, it is in death he truly becomes a tragic hero.

He experiences a poignant anagnorisis and dies guilt-ridden, a man who has surely learnt his lesson." Sam questions Izzy.

Sam says, "But did he really learn a lesson?" So these students are discussing what exactly makes Othello a tragic hero? Is it his downfall from noble to disgraced, or is it the fact he learns an important lesson or could it be both? Which student do you agree with and why? Pause the video and discuss that now.

Fantastic.

Let's explore why some of you may have agreed with Sam's conclusion.

Discuss how might Sam have come to this conclusion? Which scenes might Sam draw upon to support their argument? What textual evidence and analysis could Sam use to support their argument.

Pause the video and discuss that now.

You may have said that this quote, "I'd rather be a toad than keep a corner in the thing I love for others' uses," shows Othello's jealousy as he despises the idea of someone else loving Desdemona.

He also strikes Desdemona in Act four, scene one, to show how he's consumed by jealousy, and he says, "Let her rot and perish." So there's some evidence that shows jealousy really destroys Othello and therefore his hamartia must be his jealousy.

Furthermore, Desdemona's supposed affair with Cassio fuels Othello's murder of her.

He says, "I saw my handkerchief in his hand.

O perjured woman! Thou dost stone my heart." So that proves that the reason he has for killing her is indeed her supposed affair with Cassio proving how jealousy was the catalyst for his murder.

Lastly, before he dies, Othello acknowledges he was manipulated into jealousy.

He says that he was not one easily jealous, but being wrought perplexed in the extreme.

So here we have Othello acknowledging that jealousy caused his tragic end.

Now let's see why some of you may have agreed with Izzy's conclusion.

What scenes might Izzy have drawn upon to support her argument and what textual analysis and evidence could Izzy use to support her argument? Pause the video and discuss how might Izzy have come to her conclusion.

You may have said that throughout the play, arguably the audience see Iago as the puppet master in Othello's downfall rather than Othello being directly responsible for his downfall.

Remember, Izzy's idea is that Othello only becomes a tragic hero in death.

So the fact that Othello doesn't seem to be responsible for his own downfall throughout the play and that it seems Iago is responsible for Othello's downfall supports Izzy's idea that it is not when Othello is alive, that he seems a tragic hero, but only when he dies.

However, Othello's murder of his wife at the end and refusal to listen to her pleas confirms his agency.

This supports Izzy's claim that Othello only seems to be a true tragic hero at the end.

It's only when we see Othello's true agency right at the end of the play that he seems to become a tragic hero.

We also see Othello feels guilt and regret for killing Desdemona.

"Wash me in liquid fire, oh Desdemona," he says, which proves Izzy's point about him having a poignant anagnorisis.

This also supports Izzy's claim that Othello learns a lesson at the end.

Perhaps he learns the lesson to not act so irrationally and not be governed by his emotions, And he realises in this poignant anagnorisis that Iago has that Iago ensnared his mind and body.

This could also support Izzy's claim that Othello learns a lesson at the end because perhaps him realising Iago's manipulation teaches him the lesson to not trust so easily.

Indeed, Shakespeare could also be teaching the audience that message as well.

In Othello's final soliloquy, he acknowledges that he was manipulated into jealousy and that he threw away a pearl.

Thus, he learns two important lessons.

He kills himself, which is a tragic death showing his guilt and how he accepts responsibility for his actions.

So altogether, this evidence proves Izzy's idea that Othello whilst alive may not seem like a typical tragic hero because he doesn't seem like he's in control of his own fate.

But by the end we clearly see that he is a tragic hero because he learns lessons and he accepts responsibility for his wrongdoing.

True or false.

Othello's jealousy is the only characteristic that makes him a tragic hero.

Pause the video and answer that question.

Well done if you said false.

There is more to Othello being a tragic hero than just jealousy.

Now, justify your answer.

Pause the video and justify.

Othello's jealousy is not the only characteristic that makes him a tragic hero because Othello has many other characteristics of a tragic hero, including his naive trust, his hubris and his stubbornness.

Not only this, but Othello also experiences an anagnorisis at the end of the play, which all tragic heroes were said to experience.

Remember, he has this moment of realisation where he realises why he has ended up in the unfortunate position that he has.

That also makes him a tragic hero.

Another thing that makes him a tragic hero is the fact he could be said to learn a lesson.

He realises the true worth of his wife.

He realises what an awful act he's committed and he realises that his jealousy was unwarranted.

Now, for your practise task, you are going to think about this.

To what extent has Shakespeare presented Othello as a tragic hero? Once you've had a moment to think about that, I want you to formalise your thoughts using the grid below.

You're going to use conjunctions to justify your idea.

So for example, Shakespeare has presented Othello as a tragic hero because he has a hamartia that triggers his downfall.

You are then going to use specifics from the text using phrases such as, for example, more specifically, more precisely and namely.

This might sound a bit like, for example, his hamartia could be his social and romantic inexperience, which blurred his perception and misplaced his trust.

So quickly think about to what extent has Shakespeare presented Othello as a tragic hero and then use the grid to formalise your ideas.

Pause the video and have a go at that task.

Here are some ideas.

Shakespeare has presented Othello as a tragic hero so audiences can learn from his mistakes.

More specifically, Othello's tormented mind and suicide warns audiences of trusting too easily.

You could have also said Othello's hubris leads him to stubbornness as he refuses to acknowledge another perspective to his own.

More precisely, although Desdemona declares her fidelity earnestly to Othello in Act five, scene two, he maintains his plan to kill her.

Well done on using really specific pieces of evidence to support your ideas.

Here's what we've learned today.

Othello may be considered a tragic hero as he recognises the root of his downfall.

He accepts responsibility for his own actions and he also realises the parts that other characters have played in his downfall such as Iago and his manipulations.

Othello's hamartia might be his jealousy or his naive trust of Iago.

Othello's hubris may be shown when he won't consider Desdemona's viewpoint or when he views himself as a godly figure.

And Othello's demise is also triggered by his stubbornness.

Stubbornness is being stuck in your own thought process and a refusal or unwillingness to see someone else's perspective.

Remember, if Othello listened to Desdemona when she plead regarding her fidelity, perhaps he wouldn't have died and suffered the tragic fate he did.

If he had trusted her, he perhaps wouldn't have killed her or killed himself.

Thus, his demise is also triggered by his stubbornness.

Thank you for joining me in today's lesson.

I look forward to learning again with you soon.