Tragic Comparison Of Othello And Oedipus The King

John Green
Word Count: 1072
A Tragic Comparison Throughout history, audiences have been entertained by tales of tragedy and catastrophe. Though each author and every story they write puts a unique spin on the genre, the characters employed are often not too dissimilar. Whether admiring drama from ancient Greece or reading the works of the Renaissance era, most of the characters have a parallel character in existing somewhere else literature. These parallels are rarely as clear as when Othello, from Shakespeare 's play Othello, and Oedipus, from Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, are juxtaposed. The similarities include in their societal positions as prominent and powerful men, the role they each play in their own demises and the fact that both of
them had the same tragic flaw: excessive pride.
As the old saying goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, and this rings true in both tragic dramas.
Oedipus and Othello as both are men of power and esteem who, in the past, weathered trials and became known for their leadership. Othello is a famous general who worked his way up from slavery. He has done much for his country, experiencing the hardships of war so frequently that “the tyrant custom” has “made the flinty and steel couch of war \ [his] thrice-driven bed of down.” (Sophocles) Oedipus is a revered king who is known not only for his wisdom and fairness, but from saving the city from the Sphinx. Next, Othello and Oedipus both play a prominent role in their own demise, though exterior forces, to varying extents, lead them there. In Othello’s case, Iago plants the seeds of jealousy in his mind and continues to push him until he finally snaps and smothers his wife. Though the coercion is not as overt as what happens to Othello, the Oracle’s horrific but ambiguous prediction leads Oedipus to the places where he kills his father and marries his mother, thus fulfilling the prophecy. Additionally, both suffer terrible falls from grace and, in the process, lose their beloved wives. For Othello, this comes in the form of his trip to Cyprus ending with the murder of his wife for infidelity and later killing himself upon realizing that she was actually faithful. For Oedipus, this occurs shortly after he and his wife Jocasta find out that they are really son and
mother, leading to Jocasta’s suicide and Oedipus gouging out his own eyes upon seeing her dead. Finally, the trait that makes both men crumble is their pride. Othello earned his place by working from a slave up to being a renowned general and, as a result, sees himself as being above the people around him. This pride makes Desdemona’s innocence impossible to prove once he is convinced and her alleged betrayal worse in his eyes. Oedipus was born into and raised in a high class and, as a result, is accustomed to a high level of respect. When he first comes into view, he proclaims “Here I am myself— \ you all know me, the world knows my fame: \ I am Oedipus,” (Sophocles). He is so confident in himself that he believes he can go against the will of the gods and change his own destiny. To be fair, however, the characters in tragedies have their share of differences as well.
To continue with the Othello and Oedipus comparison, they are different in several ways. First, the characters’ lives before the stories and leading up to their demises are vastly different. Othello was a slave and lived a rags-to-riches life preceding the story. He was born in Africa and had to fight his way out of slavery to gain his position of power. That is in stark contrast to Oedipus, who knew nothing but the royal life. He was born to Laius, the king of Thebes and raised by Polybus, the king of Corinth. Second, though both are prideful and this character flaw strongly affects their destinies, the other emotional influences that lead to their falls are different. Othello’s downfall was fueled, for the most part, by jealousy. Iago leads him to believe that his wife is cheating on him. He goads him with warnings, telling him to “beware, my lord, of jealousy; \ It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock \ the meat it feeds on.” (Shakespeare) Oedipus, on the other hand, is powered by his curiosity to find the truth, and, upon discovering it, the grief from his newfound knowledge. Finally, the severity of the fall varies widely between the two. Othello, upon realizing his mistake, stabs himself and dies soon thereafter. It is a relatively quick death with minimal pain and suffering. Oedipus, however, does not get off as easily. Not only does he find his wife hanging by her own
noose, but it is the last thing he ever sees, seared into his brain forever, before he gouges his own eyes out. In a society where people believe gods play an active role in their lives, his actions make him a “great murderous ruin” who “the deathless gods hate most of all.” (Sophocles) On top of that, he is exiled to suffer a pitiful life with no human contact until he inevitably dies far from anyone he ever knew. It is impossible to read any number of novels, plays or poems without coming across more than a few tragedies. Tragedy is, and will likely continue to be, one of the most explored genres of literature. And, as modern authors continue to churn out more of these stories, readers will likely encounter more and more characters that, when examined, bare a close resemblance to existing tragic heroes. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and authors have always been known to tuck away allusions to prominent works and people in their writings. Shakespeare was not the first to do this, and he certainly will not be the last. Try as they may, however, no writer to date can create a character that is not only realistic and relatable, but able to tie their works to those put out by the greats.

WORKS CITED
Shakespeare, William. “Othello.” In Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 95-99. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 11th ed. New York: Longman, 2007.
Sophocles. “Oedipus Rex.” In Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 95-99. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 11th ed. New York: Longman, 2007.