Othello - Pure Tragedy? ... Maybe

To contest the greatness of anything by Shakespeare is, at this point, pretty much riddiculous. I read a description of Shakespeare once that went something like this: "he is the mountain of literature, and all other writers stumble in his foothills." It's a stupid description, but nevertheless pretty accurate, when it comes to those laboring under his considerable and long-reaching shadow.

Contesting greatness may be bad, but for me, 'Othello' is the least of his great tragedies. It has been said that 'Othello' is his purest tragedy - meaning it lacks subplots, comic characters or much relief from the main plot. But I ask this upsetting question: is that a good thing? Isn't comic relief positive, when handled correctly?

For me, 'Othello' is a great and powerful downer, without the tragic grandeur which makes 'Hamlet' or 'Macbeth' or even a real pulpy one like 'Titus Andronicus' so effective. Othello as a character just doesn't do it for me - he's too easily manipulated, too much at the mercy of the plot. And while Iago is deliciously evil, he is almost too evil, too one dimensional. The same can be said of the virtuous and well nigh perfect Desdemona.

So in the end, 'Othello' is a great work of literature - memorable characters, incredible use of the language, a beautiful and fluid piece of art. But for me it's not Willy the Shake's best, nor is it effective in my own little world.

My rather negative 3 or 4 cents.