Shakespeare's Presentation of Men and their Uncontrollable Emotions Jennifer Davies 12th Grade

Arguably, Shakespeare presents the male characters within Othello as spontaneously emotional, and unable to control their reactions to negative events. Within this extract, Othello obsesses over the idea of Desdemona’s infidelity, goaded by Iago’s machiavellian manipulation, his emotions rising so rapidly and intensely that he “(falls into a trance)” not dissimilar to a seizure. Without his hamartia - his disposition toward jealous and egotistical thoughts - Othello may have been able to resist Iago’s exploitative ways and sustain a strong, healthy relationship with his wife; ultimately being the cause of his own tragic downfall. However, Shakespeare does not present all of his male characters in this way, having Iago remain calmly in control of his emotions in order to sustain control over the other characters until the very final scene, in which he stabs his own wife, Emilia, for exposing the truth of his immorality. This arguably does confirm that both of these characters struggle with impulsivity and irrepressible emotions, ultimately resulting in their own tragic downfalls. Aristotle described his idea of a tragic hero as someone who evokes a sense of pity from the audience, and whether Othello’s impetuousness allows such...