Diction In Othello

As a tragic hero, Othello must have a high position to fall from, but his high position must not keep him from being likeable. He must be noble in position and personality. The audience must be able to recognize his humanity, feel sympathy for him, in order to experience the catharsis a tragedy offers. When Othello is forced to defend himself before the duke and senators against Brabantio’s accusation that he used witchcraft to seduce Desdemona, his noble personality is clearly established. Details of his speech, specifically diction, syntax, repetition, imagery, and figurative language, characterize Othello as noble, one worthy of both admiration and sympathy.
Reverential diction, inverted syntax, and repetition set the ground-work for Othello’s self-defense by characterizing him as respectfully humble, and therefore noble, general. While the readers are aware of Othello’s noble status, he still treats the senators as of having a higher status. When Othello begins his defense he refers to the senators as “[m]ost potent, grave, reverend

The pious diction portrays Othello as a man of faith, which helps him blend into the Christian society he lives in. When speaking to Desdemona, Othello would “draw from her a prayer of earnest heart” and “would all [his] pilgrimage dilate” (1.3.154-155). By drawing comparisons to religious images, Othello makes himself appear as a man of great faith and quite honorable. When contrasted with the evil diction, Othello appears as a man worthy of admiration. In his life Othello was “taken by the insolent foe” and saw “[c]annibals that each other eat” (1.3.139,145). Othello is holier than his foes and less monstrous than the cannibals he’s seen, making him deserving of respect and admiration. The pious diction, when contrasted with evil diction, make Othello appear as a truly noble