When you hear the word tragedy, you may assume that human emotions are responsible for an individual's collapse. For the Greek philosopher Aristotle, however, a tragedy is "an imitation of an action of great importance... in a language exalted by distinct and variable beauties... [or] by pity and fear effecting the purification of these emotions" (Kennedy and Gioia, 945). He defined a tragic hero as having three common characteristics: hamartia, or the tragic flaw of character which, combined with arrogance (pride resulting in overconfidence) causes his downfall and death; katharsis, the purification of the audience's emotions, causing the audience to feel "not depressed, but somehow euphoric"; and anagnorisis, or the recognition of some fact not previously realized by the main character's true identity (Kennedy & Gioia, 946). Therefore, as defined by Aristotle's concept of tragedy, William Shakespeare's Othello could be classified as a tragic hero. Shakespeare's work includes jealousy and intrigue, which intertwined with pride and suspense create the most beautiful of Aristotelian tragedies. Othello meets the requirements of a tragic hero since Aristotle began with the premise that the hero must be of "high status", as if he were a member of a royal family; however, he still falls from a hierarchy of power to one of embarrassment. He married the daughter of a Venetian nobleman. It starts well, but its end is dramatic. Furthermore, Shakespeare's plot develops as Othello's katharsis is revealed through the play's climax and conclusion, while anagnorisis with the recognition that Iago was a traitor and Desdemona his innocent victim. Othello meets all the requirements of a tragic hero as defined by . ..... half of the card ...... of a tragic hero: hamartia, or moral defect; katharsis, or purification of the emotions; and anagnorisis, the discovery of something unknown (Kennedy & Gioia, 944-947). The author of Othello, William Shakespeare, created an Aristotelian hero by describing the destruction of the Venetian general through the incorporation of jealousy, deception, pride, and tragedy. The complexity of this character qualifies Othello as a tragic hero as classified by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. After all, he is an infallible human being with one fatal flaw; the show gives the public a sort of purification of emotions; and through Othello's epiphany, he realizes the tragedy of his trust and its abuse. Shakespeare's tragedy has been established as an English classic in literature because of its themes relating to human characteristics; after all, all humans are proud, jealous, remorseful, and treacherous.