Othello and Oedipus
Essay Preview: Othello and Oedipus
Report this essay
The definition of a tragedy is a narrative poem or story that describes the downfall of a good man. Both Othello and King Oedipus Rex Fall into this class of literature, even though they were written by two totally different authors and in two utterly different time periods. These two works share several comparisons to every different, while having an honest quantity of variations similarly. Pride is characterized as one of the seven deadliest sins. Most pleased individuals will never see themselves as to be genuinely glad until they encounter the results of their pride. Sophocles and Shakespeare both location this situation in their plays Oedipus Rex and Othello. Through their honorability, their appalling imperfections, the fall these blemishes cause, and the misery and astuteness they get from these falls, Oedipus and Othello uncover the genuine character of the awful saint and demonstrate the staggering outcomes of pride.
Othello and King Oedipus Rex, each featured main characters with distinguished power; Othello was a greatly revered general with an impeccable service record among the Venetian Army while King Oedipus was the newly appointed king of Thebes. Each of these characters was well revered and honored members of their community.King Oedipus and Othello had to overcome obstacles to realize their prestigious positions. Othello was an African member of his society at a time once the white race was viewed as superior to different races. While he was beloved as a general, he was still looked down upon as a human being. An example of this would be the opposition of Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, in the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. Oedipus had his own conflict to gain his power. He had to solve the riddle of the good Sphinx, and in doing so, he freed the city of Thebes from the wrath of the Sphinx and was created, king. Pride is one of the seven deadly sins, its effect on individuals, however, is often refined at the beginning and laborious to find. Most proud people can never think about themselves to be actually proud till they return to face to face with the implications of their pride. Sophocles and poet each address this perplexity in their plays, Oedipus and Othello. Through their profound positions, their tragic flaws, the mistakes these flaws cause, and the suffering and wisdom they derive from these downfalls, Oedipus and Othello reveal the true character of the tragic hero and show the devastating consequences of pride.
Oedipus and Othello are recognized by the position they hold: Oedipus by birth and deed and Othello by a recognized profession. Oedipus is the child of King Laius and Jocasta his better half, the lord, and ruler of Thebes. As a result of a prophet forecasted that King Laius will be killed by his child, Oedipus is left beyond words “the mountains where Cithaeron is”(1472). He is then protected by a shepherd and raised by “Polybus. . . king of Corinth/and Merope, the Dorian” (834-35).
Not just is Oedipus honorable in his introduction to the world and childhood, he is likewise respectable indeed. After coming to Thebes as a young fellow, Oedipus answers the question of the Sphinx, who is threatening the natives, and frees the city of this creature. Thusly he is made King of Thebes and weds, unwittingly, his mom, the ruler. Othello, then again, is honorable just by deed. He is a Moor and a brute by Venetian traditions. He is untouchable, yet he is acknowledged by the Venetian individuals in light of his recognized profession as general of the Venetian armed force. With regards to his absence of honorable legacy, Othello states, “I fetch my life and being / From men of royal siege” (1.2.20-21). It is his rank that makes him respectable. His peers likewise commend him as “brave Othello” (2.1.37) and they proclaim that he “commands / Like a full soldier” (2.1.35-36). Oedipus and Othello have the honorability that a genuinely terrible legend must have, yet this respectability is just the shield that covers the genuine shortcoming that exists in every man.
In spite of the fact that they indicate it in various ways, Oedipus and Othello both experience the ill effects of a comparative character blemish, the transgression of pride. Oedipus pride is uncovered in his conviction that he is more prominent than the divine beings. He trusts that he is equipped for setting up his own particular fate separated from the divine beings control or offer assistance. At the point when the cleric, toward the start of the story, asks Oedipus to help the general population in the season of starvation and inconvenience, he states, “It was God / That aided you, men say, and you are held / With Gods assistance to have saved our lives” (43-45) The minister is alluding to Oedipus response to the puzzle of the Sphinx, which conveyed the general population of Thebes from the Sphinxs abuse. Later, be that as it may, Oedipus pride is uncovered when talking about the same occasion, he says: “But I came, / Oedipus, who knew nothing, and I stopped her. / I solved the riddle by my wit alone” (433-35). Othello likewise experiences the hamartia of pride. His pride, in any case, comes from his unreliability concerning his appearance and social graces. His dad-in-law discusses Othellos “sooty bosom” in reference to his blackness (1.2.69). Othello concedes openly that he is “rude . . . in [his] speech” (1.3.81). Lastly, knowledge is given to this appearance through the expressions of Brabantio, his dad-in-law, who talks suspiciously of his little girls affection for Othello, “To fall in love with what she feared to look upon” (1.3.98). The instability Othello feels concerning his appearance and social graces eventually prompts envy over Desdemonas adoration for him, yet, inside this desire, his actual dread and pride are uncovered. Othellos actual trepidation is the thing that other individuals will consider him. At the point when Iago goads him, Othello says: “My name, that was as fresh / As Dians visage, is now begrimed and black” (3.3.383-84).
Later,