Compare And Contrast Oedipus And Othello - 1816 Words

When asked to think of a classic play that shaped the whole of literature, some of the most common answers will include Oedipus by Sophocles and Othello by William Shakespeare. Both of these texts are held in high regard as some of the greatest writing of our time, not only for their command and use of language but for their intricately woven storylines and tragic endings. Both title characters were written as tragic characters, and as such their stories result in unhappy endings for all involved. The difference is that while one story was running along a set course put in place by an outward force and unable to be altered, the other tragedy was completely self-inflicted. Oedipus had no choice but to succumb to the fate placed in front of†¦show more content†¦But as a tragedy is defined, both stories were always going to end in sorrow, because without tragedy there can be no tragic hero. In Oedipus, the central tragedy is that of a disgraced king who fulfills a prophecy that he had worked so hard to avoid. In order to rescue his people from a plague, he sets out on a journey of discovery that leads him to learn that the people he thought were his parents were really just his adoptive parents, and that he actually had come to fulfill the prophecy that he would marry his mother and kill his father. At one point, he argues that he should be able to change his fate, and the response he receives is â€Å"I have no more to say; storm as thou willst,/And give the rein to all thy pent-up rage† (Oedipus the King, lines 346-347). Oedipus comes to realize that there is no changing the fate that his been placed on his life. Being so distraught over this, Oedipus gauges out his own eyes so that he no longer can see the pain and suffering that he has inflicted upon his people and his world. In Othello, we see an entirely different story. Whereas Oedipus was constantly attem pting not to fulfill the prophecy that had been placed upon him, Othello had no such stories to help guide him. His tragedy arises from the fact that the man he had thought to be a friend, Iago, feeds Othello lies and falseShow MoreRelatedOthello Notes2305 Words   |  10 PagesOthello Notes: Assessment Objectives: AO1: A consistently fluent, precise writing, using critical terminology to present a coherent and detailed argument in which the question is well understood and answered. AO2: Well developed, analytical and consistently detailed discussion of effects of language, form and structure and ways in which it affects the audience. AO3: Well informed and detailed discussion of different readings of the text by various audiences, as well as different criticalRead MoreEssay Prompts4057 Words   |  17 Pageswork as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary. You may select a work from the list below or another novel or play of comparable literary merit. Alias Grace Middlemarch All the King’s Men Moby-Dick Candide Obasan Death of a Salesman Oedipus Rex Doctor Faustus Orlando Don Quixote A portrait of the Artist as a Young Man A Gesture Life Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Ghosts The Scarlet Letter GreatRead MoreA Summary On Tragedy 2914 Words   |  12 Pagesand he places that prize at risk through his own choices. Aristotle further elaborates that the tragic hero must, by the play s close, lose everything he has achieved through hubris - blind pride that defies the gods. In Sophocles Oedipal cycle, Oedipus tries to discover the secrets of his birth, while Creon denies Antigone’s brother honorable burial and as a result both heroes lose their kingdoms. Shakespeare takes Greek-style hubris even further, as he has Macbeth lose his soul and Hamlet his consciousRead MoreAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 Pagesideas that have to do with physical sensations--sounds, tastes, smells and so on. Finally, he can go back and think about all the ideas these different images could imply--figure out their connotations, in other words. For example, if a poet compares something to a ship, the reader might think about what ships look like, and then think about what it feels like to be on a ship. How do ships move? Where do they go? What sights, sounds, smells and sensations can we associate with ships and being