Othello as a Domestic Tragedy

Othello as a Domestic Tragedy
Othello is a domestic play in the sense that its subject is one of family or domestic issues. The issues are limited to the scope of a family and personal assistants of the hero: marital relation and happiness, sexual jealousy and personal revenge, intrigue and conspiracy, friendship and betrayal.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)



The central theme of Othello's relationship with his wife, his sexual jealousy and the consequence of his fatal weakness of gullibility doesn't go beyond the limit of his family life.

Othello is a domestic tragedy in the sense that it deals with domestic issues of a couple's married life, the husband's jealousy and the wife's ignorance which lead to their disaster. Earlier dramas, the classical dramas of the Greek model, used to deal with social and universally significant human issues at large, William Shakespeare much narrowed down the subject matter in Othello to a more ordinary 'domestic' issue. Even when compared to his other tragic dramas, this play has a more common issue. Instead of dramatizing an issue of national or communal importance Othello is essentially concerned with domesticity. The pictures of a short lasting conjugal bliss and its disruption through unnatural jealousy become the major thematic aspects in the play. Othello-Desdemona marriage begins violently, ends violently and between these two violent points, there is brief joy and much sorrow.

The play has been called a domestic play, especially in the light of the fact that most serious tragedies before Shakespeare and even Shakespeare's other tragedies used to deal with more public issues. Plays like Oedipus Rex and even Shakespeare's own Hamlet and Macbeth, were about kings and princes, and generals like Othello; but the action and issue in them was not limited to the individual persons or their personal and family lives. They used to be about kings and their kingdoms: the actions and decisions of the characters affected the country and the people. But, in the case of Othello, the main issue is limited to Othello's private life, his relation with his wife, his happiness and failures. The play is limited to the marital life and happiness of a husband and wife; and though the intruder and related people come into the action, their roles also do not lead out the effect of the interactions to people outside. lago and Emilia's lives are also affected by the main line of action related Desdemona and Othello, but that is also a family issue. Cassio's relationship with Othello is more domestic than professional; he was friendly and acted like a family member with Desdemona before her marriage, and he is like a brother to her and Othello. Roderigo is the only character who is not so much in the family structures of relations.

The public and state matters like those that take place at the Duke's court and in Venice are marginal to the theme of the drama. Thus, since family or domestic issues are primary, the play has been called a domestic play.
*Othello as a domestic tragedy*
Before going to answer of the question, we should know the definition of a domestic tragedy. A domestic tragedy is a kind of tragedy which deals with the private life of ordinary people. Such kind of tragedies were very popular in the days of Shakespeare. These tragedies were presented on the stage with groat effect. Othello is a fine domestic tragedy. This tragedy deals with the personal life of Othello and Desdemona.
Othello

Some critics have regarded Othello as a domestic tragedy because it deals with the domestic life of Othello and Desdemona and shows how it fell into ruin by the plot of a villain, lago. logo through his plot makes Othello jealous of Cassio and suspicious of Desdemona. He starts to doubt his innocent wife of having immortal relations with Cassio. He suffers hellish tortures and inspired by lago, he ultimately destroys first Desdemona and then himself. The is the plot of the tragedy, Othello. Moreover, it is a drama of contemporary life having for its background a historical event of recent occurrence. So it has the similarity of the plot of a domestic tragedy and critics have called the play a domestic drama.But the similarity is superficial. It must be remembered that Othello is not a private individual. He is descended from royal family. He is a soldier and military general of great ability and renown. He is considered indispensable for the defence of Cyprus and is appointed as the Governor of Cyprus by the Duke of Venice.Thus he is a man of importance occupying a remarkable place in the life and affairs of the state of Venice. In no way he can be regard as a private individual-like the hero of a domestic tragedy.Othello is not a common individual. He is a man of exceptional nature. His qualities of head and heart raise him head and shoulders above the common run of mankind. He is noble and daring. He has had a romantic career and travelled to distant lands. He comes of a royal family. By his tales of travel he is able to win over the heart of Desdemona. He is frank, honest and confiding. When such an exceptional individual falls, his fall produces the pity and fear proper to the true tragedy.

Thus in a domestic tragedy, the action of the drama moves on a common everyday level. The characters are near to us and so is the action. All this cannot be said of Othello. Its action does not take place in familiar England, but we are transported to romantic Venice and remote Cyprus. Othello is not the type of domestic drama which appeals only to our sense of pathos and satire but it arouses in us the true emotions of pity and fear. It is not the private life of married people that affects the fate and fortune of true lovers turned tragic by the forces of evil embodied in lago.