Othello And Oedipus Research Paper

These two characters show that even if people are polar opposites at the end of the day they can still become alike. Othello is a respectable, fearless, and loved man by many who can draw in anyone just by telling them about his life. Shakespeare showed how much he is adored by having Othello talk about how Desdemona fell in love with him, Othello says, “And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake. She loved me for the dangers I had passed,”(1.3.192-193). He is loved and admired by people but eventually he goes down a dark path and commits murder. On the other hand there is Patrick Bateman who is clearly disliked by most people he knows and is already in a dark place internally. He is not respected and is really ignored by everyone he knows, this is showed when his friend Tim says to his face, “You’re a dufus,”(Ellis 4). He lets everyone treat him however they want which eventually leads him to commit murder just like Othello. Two very different people doing the exact same things, one is an admirable man and the other is an

Aristotle’s second requirement for a tragedy is that the tragic hero must have a reversal of fortune. In the beginning of the play, Othello is seen as content with his new bride: “For know, Iago, But that I love the gentle Desdemona” (1.2.24-25). As the play progresses, and Iago’s plan culminates, Othello’s good fortune begins to turn. After Othello returns from war at sea with the Turks, his fortune begins a downward spiral. Shakespeare often focuses his plays on human nature as well as fate, which Othello’s fate ended in the tragic ending due to his reversal of fortune once the claims against Desdemona begin. After Othello learns of a possible affair between Cassio and Desdemona, at this instance is the turning point in Othello’s fortune because it changes his views, attitudes and ultimately his fate. “In

Oedipus from the drama, “Oedipus the King” and Hamlet from, “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” are two characters that are different, yet they both share the same title of being a tragic hero. Oedipus and Hamlet have many characteristics of a tragic hero that separates them in varieties. However, some of those characteristics show that both characters have and use similar thought processes and methods, which classify them as tragic heroes of their dramas. The five characteristics of a tragic hero are: nobility, tragic flaw, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and lastly irony. Both Oedipus and Hamlet hold or have a nobility position in their drama’s plot. Oedipus is the son of the king, and fate has foretold that he will kill his father and take over the

Cassio- Michael Cassio is a foil to the protagonist, Othello. Both men served in the war but offer different perspectives of it. Cassio represents the smooth, charming and boyish demeanor that attracts women to soldiers while Othello represents more of the backbone, support and wisdom that serves as the foundation of the army. They also

*INTRO*The character Oedipus in the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and the character Othello in the play Othello the Moor of Venice by Shakespeare are both tragic characters. Oedipus ends up killing his father, and marrying and having children with his mother, whereas Othello ends up mistrusting and killing his wife. These two individuals have similarities and differences in several aspects such as the roundness of their characters, the retribution that they incur upon themselves and upon their respective wives whether directly or indirectly, and their horrors.

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is the tragic hero. He is a character of high stature who is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. His destruction is essentially precipitated by his own actions, as well as by the actions of the characters surrounding him. The tragedy of Othello is not a fault of a single villain, but is rather a consequence of a wide range of feelings, judgments and misjudgments, and attempts for personal justification exhibited by the characters. Othello is first shown as a hero of war and a man of great pride and courage. As the play continues, his character begins to deteriorate and become less noble. Chronologically through the play, Othello’s character

As Othello trusts the words of his ancient Iago, he becomes vulnerable to manipulation and abuse. His ancient uses Othello’s trust to drive him mad with jealousy, resulting in Othello’s downfall. Othello, after losing all power he once had, recognizes that he is the one to blame for his downfall and commits suicide. Okonkwo, on the other hand, is driven by his masculinity into impulsive decisions. As his life begins to unravel at his hands, Okonkwo commits suicide without realizing that he is the cause of his downfall. Both Okonkwo and Othello display characteristics of Aristotle’s tragic hero, conveying the theme that insecurity will bring upon disaster, while having their own themes resulting from their differences. Okonkwo’s tragic flaw and downfall without any recognition conveys the theme that one’s insecurity will lead to their demise regardless of their intent. Othello’s characterization as a tragic hero conveys the theme one’s trust can be manipulated into jealousy that can destroy any

As the play continues, we start to see a shift in Oedipus’s personality. This was due to the conclusion he makes based on the conversation him and the prophet Tiresias has. It mentions how Kreon, Oedipus brother-in-law, is plotting against him. “So? You come here? You have the nerve to face me in my own house? When you’re exposed as its master’s murderer? Caught trying to steal my kinship?” (Sophocles 500). Now, Oedipus is arrogant, he blames Kreon based off of the conclusion he jumps too. He gets discouraged from his role as a leader, he is irrational, angry and hot tempered, whereas, in the beginning,

The setting for Othello's final moments onstage is critical to how it is perceived by Othello, the other players onstage, and the audience. It lends credence to the nobility of the situation, and adds to Othello's misguided self-perception. The experience, in itself, is

Shakespeare sets up Othello as his perfect leader: no one ever questions his ability to conduct an army (because he does not engage in combat during the play, this opinion must be drawn from the lack of negative sentiment from anyone in the play). He speaks well, and is widely respected. But the skills that make a good general are only applied with problem in his civilian life. Othello never asks questions of those who might be against him; instead, he believes only what is told him by those who come to him first. He believes men over women, and never thinks too deeply or critically about anything. He must be decisive, and therefore he refuses to question.

In Shakespeare?s play Othello, Othello himself is the tragic hero. He is an individual of high stature who is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. His destruction is essentially precipitated by his own actions, as well as by the actions of the characters surrounding him. The tragedy of Othello is not a fault of a single person, but is rather the consequence of a wide range of feelings, judgments, misjudgments, and attempts for personal justification revealed by the characters.

The role of the gods/fate in human affairs is a central theme in most works of literature. In Greek literature, particularly, the will of the gods is commonly attributed to human experiences. In Oedipus the King, for instance, the oracle’s message that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his own mother suggests that he was a puppet in the hands of the gods, who manipulated the events that led to his fall. However, the character’s fate is not entirely attributable to the work of the gods. In the play, Oedipus meets his fate due to his determination to unravel the mysteries surrounding the king’s death, despite warnings by the prophet Tiresias and his wife/mother, and his quest to prove the oracles wrong in their declaration that he is

Shakespeare's play, “Othello, the Moor of Venice,” is a powerful example of a tragedy and it’s main character, Othello, is an excellent illustration of what Aristotle constitutes as a tragic hero. The play imitates life through basic human emotions such as jealousy and rage. In addition, Othello is far from being a perfect character - another quality that meets Aristotle's requirements. Othello also matches Aristotle's ideas of tragic hero because our Othello realizes the error of his ways, causing us to feel sympathy for him. If we carefully examine the third scene in the third act, we can see how Othello fits into Aristotle's definition of tragic hero. This passage reveals how much Othello has deteriorated as far as his ability to reason

Othello was living a successful life, but he had one flaw: jealousy. As a result of his jealousy, his life begins to get chaotic because he no longer trusts his wife. Slowly Othello's sanity and status become questioned, and he is no longer seen as important. The last straw is drawn, and Othello murders his beautiful wife only to find out that she did not deserve to die. Othello was a good man, but he was a tragic hero because of his flaw that

Likewise another weakness of Othello’s would be that he is a man who gets confused easily and cannot judge right from wrong. This can be seen when