Category: Othello

Introduction

Literature always reflects cultural and societal aspects prevailing at the time of its creation. The thesis selected for investigation on World Literature is to dig out facts on east-west aspects along with identification of discrimination on the grounds of race and culture. The writers view towards society and prevailing circumstances will create a background to his writings. The governmental as well as international affairs can influence those.

The medieval or modern literature exhibits those situations without fail. Therefore, analysis on various literatures produced at different times provides cultural and societal history exploration, which adds to beauty of human life in olden times. The facts and events bring about an effective comparison of ancient situation with status to dig out virtue and vice of both for betterment in current affairs of the society. Main objective is to identify Orientalism in literature under study. According to Edward Said, Orientalism is the product of circumstances that are fundamentally, indeed radically, fractious (Said, Edward (1977) Orientalism) which actually is the procedure of reflecting eastern values and aspects in western works.

The paper deals with comparison of east and west culture that prevailed during medieval age and 20^th century. The east and west aspects depicted in both reflect the circumstances that prevailed during those times. A critical review on both accompanied by a comparison on both values are identified through this work, so that opportunities of cultural and societal expansion and modification become evident.

The ancestral studies of different groups of people are being given much importance during recent years and thus the relevance of the paper is clear. The literatures selected for the analysis are Season of migration to the north by Tayeb Salih and Othello by William Shakespeare; former is a medieval work while the latter reflects 20^th century. Both gain significance due to the collaboration of east and west values in them along with exhibiting customs and culture of conservatism prevailed in medieval as well as recent years. The literatures were selected considering their popularity and acceptance worldwide even under the names of their authors who have rewritten their names in golden milestone of world literature.

East and west dialogue in Season of migration to north

The east  west discussion on Season of migration to north has been given significance from the time of its publishing itself. Scholars consider this novel to be an important turning point in the development of travel narratives that focus on the encounter between East and West in the twentieth century (Boer 201). There has been a wide analytical discussions being carried out in both West and East areas in support as well as against.

Various detractors seeking out similarities between Saeed with those are comparing the character Saeed with characters from other English literatures. Two interesting examples are the comparisons that are drawn between Mustafa Saeed, the main character in the Season of Migration to the North, and Othello (Harlo 1979 and 1985), or between the former and Kurtz in Joseph Conrads Heart of darkness (Krishnan, Shaheen, Maalouf, and Caminero-Santangelo) (Boer 201).

Season of migration to north is a renowned literature work by Tayeb Salih, which represents typical postcolonial culture in depth. The work portrays mainly two characters in it, namely Mustafa Saeed and the narrator. It was a book written in Arabic, which was later translated to English as well. Published in the late 1960s, Season of Migration to the North was banned by Sudans Islamic regime in the 1990s because of its descriptions of a Sudanese intellectuals sexual experiences in Britain (Khartoum).

But, later popularity came up to a big glory for it as well as its author which was backed up when The Damascus-based Arab Literary Academy in 2001 declared the book the most important Arabic novel of the 20th century (Khartoum). This piece of work describes about two Sudanese youth educated at higher levels from England. Both had to return to hometown after studies. It seems to be a mystery out there for narrator regarding Mustafa Saeed that compelled to explore on Saeed.

Saeed living in his place with wife and two children was not ready to exhibit his actual possessions in education, but at a point of time, he had to reveal his studies and life in England. He describes himself as a prodigy from Sudan who goes to study first in Cairo and then in London, where he hunts women but eventually falls for one himself (Salih). In his journey through those worst performances on English women leading a few to suicide, he did not consider the situation and emotions of women he met.

He was married to an English subsequently killing Jean Morris due to which he was accused to imprisonment, and following it, he had to return to his hometown. After his revelation about the past, he left a letter to the narrator and vanished in Nile River. But, the story didnt end with his disappearance and request to narrator to take care of his children, just continued narrating how his wife Hosna Bint Mahmoud was tortured in the name of second marriage compelling her to stab Wad Rayes, her second husband, to death and committing suicide. Later, at Saeeds study, narrator seeks out Saeeds wish to go and live in England which he could not and even his love for English life.

The entire novel of Season of migration to north describes on attitudes of women at the age of post colonialism and African feel towards English as a whole. The discrimination on the grounds of race and colour was eminent during those times, which created a negative attitude in the minds of blacks. Words of Saeed saying The sensation that& I have bedded the goddess of Death and gazed out upon Hell from the aperture of her eyes  its a feeling no man can imagine.

The taste of that night stays on in my mouth, preventing me from savouring anything else (Gagiano) can be seen as description of his pleasure in hurting and killing English women derived from his insanity of being discriminated as the black Englishman (Gagiano). The explanation for those murders by Saeed creates a devilish performers portrayal about his inhumane deeds. Through these, author tries to exhibit how circumstances of life define ones life and background. Coming to culture existing in Sudan and nearby areas showing a peculiar attitude towards women, Tayib succeeds in explaining on unsafe situation.

Women with their husbands dead are exploited in many forms by society against which no notions are available for them. Hosna Bint Mahmoud was a victim of this, who had to murder and commit suicide due to prevailing risky life of hers. The English and Sudanese cultures were entirely different as described in the novel. May be cultural outlook of inferiority for women in Sudan within Saeed accompanied by grudge against English might have made him to perform his dirty deeds in England.

Tayib describes that like a sharp knife, cutting with cold effectiveness (Gagiano) was so dangerous that it stabbed its last victim after its disappearance from scenario and signed off. As a whole, it represents the cultural as well as societal aspects of in east and west perspectives. This makes clear on the matter of the novels link with Othello, which is our topic of discussion.

East and west dialogue in Othello

The study on east and west dialogue in Othello poses a prerequisite for analysis of circumstances prevailing in England and other countries of the world. The popular unconscious during Shakespeares time (1564-1616), the Elizabethan Period, conflated black people with devils and the savage beings depicted in medieval legends, representing far-off, uncivilized worlds (Maurouard). The status of black and white as well as east and west were well defined with considerable gaps between them. Othello creates a major position for Moor General named Othello traversing through his feelings, emotions and problems.

Othello is stated as a tragedy play written by William Shakespeare in 1603. It is said that the play was written based on an Italian story named Un Capitano Moro written by Cinthio in the middle of 16^th century. Othello is often entitled as Shakespeares famous play of love turned bad by unfounded jealousy (Othello Summary act I) due to the dependence of the story on the foul play of Iago just for his destination to become Lieutenant of Cyprus. Othello is placed in a personal environment and spotlights on the fervour and private values of living of the characters plotted through it. The work is described as a tragedy of personal affairs due to cheating interference of a trusted person common to all victims.

In Othello the title character, Moor holding the position of General in Venice marries Desdemona daughter of Brabantio, a senator in Venice. Roderigo was a fan of Desdemona who wished to marry her and kept Iago under bribe to give him information about her. But Iago, the main villain character of the play responsible for all tragic events due to his wicked deeds, was not at all loyal and just kept Roderigo for his financial profit.

By the time, Othello married Desdemona on which Iago was jealous, informed Roderigo after the marriage, and convinced him that this happened through witchy acts of Othello which news was conveyed to Desdemonas father who came against, but later was explained on real picture. Later, Cassio was entitled to the dream position of Iago, which made him enraged. He started to plot new plan to wipe out all his rivals in the path towards destiny. Through his cunning plans, he succeeded in expelling Cassio out of his position followed by tricky steps to bring about doubt for Desdemona-Cassio ill affair in the mind of Othello.

Again, Roderigo tried to kill Cassio but Iago had to kill him while Cassio was wounded. Later, Iago was entitled to his set destiny. In his mental agony of doubt, Othello killed Desdemona who was too loyal to him as a wife, refused to admit that her husband had done it to her. However, Emilia, wife of Iago and house cleaner to Desdemona, who knew all facts, revealed those to accused Othello and other governors, which made Othello much outraged and repented. He tries to kill Iago but leaves to suffer, while Iago kills his wife and was caught sooner. At the end of the play, Othello commits suicide and Iago is kept back for torturing and execution by law.

The play portrays how a black man in governance and keeping the hands of a high ranked senators daughter brings about problem to superior groups of the society. It is a play about war-a war between Venice and the Turks, not only over conquest of the Mediterranean basin or between religions East and West, but also on the other as foreigner who must be annihilated (Maurouard). Othello as a whole is conducting an exploration by a side on the matter of discrimination and superior-inferior feel existing in medieval period, which is evident from the words of Iago saying what a full fortune does the thick lips owe if he can carrys thus? (Maurouard).

The gap of East and West and religions of Islam and Christianity was seen in relationships portrayed in Othello, which was one among many reasons for doubt of conduct and culture. The gap identified has many other instances as well like entitlement of Othello with the Moor, the thick lips, an old black ram, the devil, a Barberry horse, a lascivious Moor (Bartels) and many other words of discrimination of blacks by Roderigo and Iago throughout the play. To be clear, Shakespeare succeeded in plotting East and West and racial discrimination that prevailed in medieval age.

Othello exhibits Turkish intimidation prevailed in Europe at that time which declares an opposition from Christian concepts against Islamic. Superimposed onto the conception of a world divided between them and us were the discourses of Orientalism and colonialism (Vaughan 4) which clearly displayed in Othello. Othello is a tragedy play, which shows cultural differences of East and West as well as their effects in the life of various characters of that play. Othello is described in terms of the characteristics popularly attributed to blacks during the sixteenth century: sexual potency, courage, pride, guilelessness, credulity, easily aroused passions (McDonald 805). Characterization of Othello in such an image figures out the eastern distinction from west.

Season of migration to the north vs. Othello

The comparison of Season of migration to the north with Othello first seeks out the different but renowned authors from east and west backgrounds respectively. Western Christian culture of William Shakespeare and Eastern Islamic culture of Tayib Salih are responsible for those works in respective manner. In addition, the time of creation is of great importance i.e. 20^th century and medieval age respectively. In Othello, problems and degradation of Othello in Islamic Moor is portrayed while the evilness created and executed by Moor under his cultural and experience background is visualized in Season of migration to north.

There are many similarities that can be traced out from both works, as they rely on discrimination backgrounds though during different instances of history, which might have led to the idea that Tayeb Salih shows us an Othello without passion. (Tayeb Salih Migration to the North). The characters plotted in both works are from similar cultural background, but one is seeking pathetic emotional situation of a Moor (Othello) while the other represents wilderness produced within a Moor with a follow-up of discrimination.

One clear fact evident from both literature works is that an outside viewer pities on Moors like Shakespeare, while insiders have mixed feeling for themselves. Nevertheless, main contrast is related to reason of tragic end in both; in Othello, it is due to outside interference while in Season of migration to north it is Saeeds choice for life. The east west variations in culture and other qualities in both the literatures are identified by many of the literature forecasters. Complexities in the interplay of racial and sexual politics are more vividly and wrenchingly brought to life in another non-Western response to Shakespeares Othello, the Sudanese author Tayib Salihs novel, Season of Migration to the North (Hendricks and Parker 295).

The racism and its ugly background in history and literature are being plotted effectively in both works. In the comparative analysis of Season of migration to north and Othello, it requires the stating of words packed with colonial symbolism as well as an allusive trope of the signifier/signified dichotomy from Shakespeares Othello (Frank) which describes an existing link between both, but in an antagonistic approach of the author.

One tries to take revenge while other is fallen into the trap just finds himself a loser and murderer of his extremely loyal wife. The characters Saeed and Othello share a similar context in the case of Orientalism. The stereotype of Othello fits Mustafa; but as he states, he carries inside him the germs of the oldest disease, the germs of destruction (Boer 205). The quote above indicates the valuation of various analysts in the case of east west issues in Season of migration to the north and Othello. Many factors and aspects coincide in both pieces of literatures. The study as a whole makes apparent that something lies smeared with tragedy behind discriminated groups of world by West.

Conclusion

The values exhibited by medieval and modern literature are being sought from the critical reading of Othello and Season of migration to north. The former being a tragedy of cheating brings sympathy on Moor while the other became a consequence tragedy of wicked performance. Both works are excellent pieces of literature ever seen in World Literature sector. Othello exhibits the problems and discriminations faced by a black with eastern culture in higher positions of western cultured superior society.

There the victim could remain utilized and made to work on the words of treachery. Saeed in Season of migration to north exhibits multiple feelings and aggressiveness against superior groups through his under-dignified approach on English women. The comparative study on both is significant in the background of seeking east-west issues on world popular literature.

The selection of literatures was based on the popularity and acceptance of those works along with values of humanity and culture they exhibit in abundance. The human factors absent in discriminating and being discriminated on the grounds of beliefs and races are explained explicitly in both works. Shakespeare and Tayib integrate possible disaster on both sides of discrimination in two different tallies. The east-west analysis on literature has thus concluded on the fact that east-west discrimination and cultural problems are major negative aspects even prevailing in modern world with a start from ancient through medieval ages.

Works Cited

Bartels, Emily C. Othello and Africa: Postcolonialism Reconsidered. Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. 1997. Web.

Boer, Inge E. After Orientalism: Critical Entanglements, Productive Looks. Rodopi. 2003. Web.

Frank, B. Lies of Our Own Making: A Book Review of Tayib Salihs Season of Migration to the North. Associated Content. 2007. Web.

Gagiano, Annie. Season of Migration to the North. African Library. Web.

Hendricks, Margo and Parker, Patricia A. Women, Race and Writing in the Early Modern Period. Routledge. 1994. Web.

Khartoum, Afp. Arab Novelist Tayeb Salih Dies in London. The Daily Star. 2009. Web.

Maurouard, Elvire. Shakespeares Othello and the Origins of the Black Man. Panafrican Cultural Festival. 2009. Web.

McDonald, Russ. Shakespeare: An Anthology of Criticism and Theory, 1945-2000. Wiley-Blackwell. 2004. Web.

Othello Summary. Absolute Shakespeare. 2005. Web.

Said, Edward (1977) Orientalism. London: Penguin. 2003. Web.

Salih, Al-Tayyib. Black Biography. Answers. 2010. Web.

Salih, Tayeb. Season of Migration to the North. 2006. Web.

Shakespeare, William. William Shakespeare. The Literature Network. 2009. Web.

Tayeb Salih Migration to the North. Attribution Non-commercial, Scribd. 2008. Web.

Vaughan, Virginia Mason. Othello: A Contextual History. Cambridge University Press. 1996. Web.

The correlation of the fate of the hero with the development of society, which is the main distinguishing feature of the genre of tragedy, can take on a variety of artistic forms. It can be folk-historical tragedy, bringing to the stage the broad masses of people set in motion by social cataclysms. At the same time, it is a tragedy, in which the plot is based on a conflict that captures a relatively small number of characters (Boorman, 2021). Even with the most cursory acquaintance with most of the mature Shakespearean tragedies, it is easy to see the center of the playwrights attention. These are the relationship between the fate of the characters and the course of the development of society. Shakespeares great tragedies most often develop the theme of the death of the best people and their internal discord. Such is the tragedy of Othello, where the author describes the internal struggle of people whose honor has been tarnished.

In Shakespeares play Othello, the main characters kill their wives to protect and restore their honor. During the play, women must obey their husbands to show real honor. Iago and Othello reflect this attitude towards their wives: they give them a reason to feel faithful by killing their women. Iago kills Emilia because she dishonors him by revealing his manipulation of Othello and Cassio. Othello strangles Desdemona because of the false infidelity that his assistant Iago imposed on him. As can be understood from the play, both characters have their idea of what honor is and how it is manifested. Nevertheless, both Othello and Iago kill close women to protect themselves, their honor.

The only deliverance for Othello from this doubt that relentlessly settled in his house and his soul is the solution to which he comes  the murder of Desdemona. However, having accomplished it, Othello learns that Desdemona is innocent, that both are victims of that monstrous intrigue that Iago wove so skillfully. Othello calls himself an honest killer:

Why, anything:
An honorable murderer, if you will;
For naught, I did in hate, but all in honour. (Shakespeare, 1975, 5.2.345)

These words are the key to the murder he committed: a man for whom honor is above all, he could not exist next to vice and could not allow dishonesty to go unpunished. Realizing the horror of what he had done, he kills himself  cuts his throat with a dagger.

Faith in man is broken  this becomes the cause of Othellos despair and, at the same time, the source of his loneliness. Because of this, a person decides that his whole past life and the attitude of those close to him were an illusion. It seems to Othello that nothing is lasting, honest, moral in the world; everything in a person is unsteady, chaotic, impermanent. Having understood the laws of this world, Othello fights it in every possible way in the name of the humanistic ideal of a beautiful, real, honest person. In the play, the hero goes to extreme measures to kill his wife, who, in his opinion, dishonored him. It becomes a metaphor and a message to an ordinary person that one must fight for confidence in life and people. It is necessary to eradicate everything that can negatively affect the further development of the individual. At the same time, in the last scene, Shakespeare reminds the ordinary people not to lose their minds in the struggle for honor, no matter how important it may seem.

The advantage of Shakespeares tragic soil is that he is still able to show how this or that passion grows out of the fullness of a naive human consciousness under certain conditions. At the same time, it is a normal human passion unlike the writers of a more mature bourgeois society (Carr, 2020). Therefore, the Renaissance image of Othello speaks much more directly to the feeling of every person  both to the jealous and one who has never known jealousy. The potential energy of normal, natural human nature in Othello becomes the energy of affect.

References

Boorman, S. C. (2021). Human conflict in Shakespeare. Routledge.

Carr, D. (2020). From (apparently) feeling to being grateful. The Journal of Value Inquiry, 55(1), 145154.

Shakespeare, W. (1975). Othello. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Iago is the central character in Shakespeares tragedy Othello, a lieutenant in the service of Othello. He is a boor and a plebeian by nature, forced to be in the Moors service, hating him for the humiliation he suffers at the same time. He weaves an intrigue around Othello and Desdemona, and the lieutenant Cassio gets caught in it without even knowing it. Iago is the opposite of Othello  cunning, crafty, and jealous, ready for any baseness; His motive is the thirst for destruction:

Virtue? A fig!
Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus (Shakespeare, lines 426  427).

He has no desire to seize the treasure  his intention is only to deprive the possessor of the prize of the pleasure that his possession provides. For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In complement extern, tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at: I am not what I am (Shakespeare, lines 95  98).

In Shakespeares portrayal of Iagos character, the readers immediately notice an apparent contradiction: even though he is the meanest and most vile scoundrel imaginable, he nevertheless enjoys the unconditional trust of everyone around him. As long as his interests do not influence Iago, he can genuinely make a difference to all who ask him for advice with his knowledge of the world and the clarity of his views. He does this gladly as it flatters his vanity, feels his superiority in this, and finds in it a reinforcement of the correctness and steadiness of his cynical view of life (Kim 199). Moving on from the way other people see Iago to the way he is by nature, it must be mentioned that Iago is an exceptionally erotic character, understood in the most vulgar sense of the word. Indirectly, this conclusion flows from the fact that Yago suspects that everyone has an excess of sexual desire; he thinks this desire overrides everyone elses and is as strong as his own. And so, from his point of view, politeness and kindness to women are forerunners of lust (Kim 200). So the courtesy of Otello and Cassio to Iagos wife is sufficient proof for the latter that they are on intimate terms with her. In short, he can understand or explain friendship or kindness only in connection with some selfish goal or plan. Speaking of racism as a possible motivation for Iagos behavior, it is worth noting that it is not the primary and only source of its manifestation. Being in a race with Othello for promotion, the hero uses the hatred of other characters towards mixed races and black people, such as Othello, to achieve the loss of the latters position.

Works Cited

Kim, SanghHyun. Rereading Othello through Bernard Jacksons Iago. Sungshin Humanities Research, vol. 42, 2020, pp. 195214. Crossref. Web.

Shakespeare, William. Othello. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2020.

One of the peculiarities of William Shakespeares plays is the indirect focus on the significant role of minor characters who can have the great impact on the major characters. In his play Othello, William Shakespeare also accentuates the meaning of minor characters and their actions for the development of the tragedy in Othellos life.

Certain minor details, the characters actions, and the peculiar features of their behaviors are combined together in a complex web which forms the plot of the tragedy and leads Othello to his demise.

To analyze the role of the minor characters in Othellos life, it is necessary to concentrate on such characters as Iago, Michael Cassio, and Emilia. Iago is depicted in the play as the enemy of Othello who tried to conceal his crucial intentions. Feelings of jealousy, revenge, and odium live in his heart. When he fails to be promoted as Othellos lieutenant he creates a malicious plan for the revenge.

He tries to control and manipulate every movement of his life and Othellos one and every action of those people who are around him. Thus, Iagos ambitions and unfair intentions break the peace in Othellos world and lead to the tragedy because Othello believes in honest Iago, and he trusts any pestilence that Iago presents. In spite of Othellos power and will Iago achieves the goal and reveals the hidden side of Othellos nature.

Michael Cassio also becomes the object of Iagos manipulations and that is why causes Othellos fall. Cassio is just a stringed-doll in Iagos hands. He is devoted to Othello, but his sympathy and good relations with Desdemona result in the development of the tragedy which is greatly controlled by Iago. Othello becomes blinded with jealousy and hatred, he loses the abilities to interpret the situation correctly and make mistakes which cost a persons life.

Emilias character is one of the most influential minor characters in the play. Shakespeare uses her character in order to develop the tragedy and to lead it to the end.

Thus, Emilias obedience greatly contributes to the tragic end of the play. Nevertheless, she represents an immense courage and gives Othello the right vision of the situation which changes the whole situation once more. Thus, Emilias actions have the great impact on Othellos destiny.

On the one hand, she is obedient and eager to please her husband. She agrees to give Iago Desdemonas handkerchief. Despite her husbands attitude to her, it seems that she tries to win her husbands heart. This action leads to the series of ill-fated events and eventually causes irrationalized and confused Othello to smother his innocent wife Desdemona.

One the other hand, when Emilia learns about the tragedy and realizes what she has done, she demonstrates Othello the truth and accuses Iago because of his sins. As a result, Iago should pay for his malicious actions. And Othello, with the pain of murdering his innocent wife, does not see the sense in his living.

Othello by William Shakespeare illustrates those important roles which each minor character can play for determining the fate of the main tragic hero. The crucial actions and behaviors of Iago, Michael Cassio, and Emilia are presented as minor details and secondary facts. However, they influence the life of the main characters and contribute to the development of the tragedy.

Introduction

Othello is a literary play that was written by William Shakespeare in 1603. The play is a tragedy revolving around four main characters that include Othello, Desdemona, Iago and Cassio. The four main characters have different roles in the play that complement each other in this tragic play.

Othello Characters

Othello is the lead character who plays the role of an army commander in the Venetian army. Cassio and Iago are junior military officers who work under Othello. Desdemona plays the role of Othellos wife and the daughter of a senator. The play begins with a conversation between a rich gentleman known as Roderigo and Iago.

Othello: Plot Summary

Roderigo complains about Othellos secret marriage to Desdemona and demonstrates his intense passion for her. Roderigo expected Iago to inform him of this development because of their friendship. Roderigo is in love with Desdemona and his previous efforts to marry her had not succeeded. Iago is not happy with the fact that Othello had promoted Cassio ahead of him despite his inexperience. Roderigo decides to report Othello to senator Brabantio who is Desdemonas father.

Desdemonas father goes out to look for Othello but they unexpectedly bump into each other in a security meeting where Othello has been summoned to advise senators on the impending attack on Cyprus by the Turkish troops. There is a very uncomfortable encounter between Othello and Brabantio after the meeting.

Desdemonas father accuses him of using witchcraft to marry his daughter but Othello manages to defend himself. Brabantio warns Othello that his daughter would betray him. As a general in the Venetian army, Othello leads the army troops to fight against the Turkish troops. Othello leaves Venice in the company of his wife, Iago and Cassio and Desdemonas attendant known as Emilia.

The Venetian army under the leadership of Othello calls for a celebration after the fall of the Turkish troops. In this celebration, Iago and Roderigo plan a conspiracy to completely destroy Cassio. In their plan, they were going to entice Cassio to drink excessively so that he would cause a commotion at the party.

Othello gets disappointed with this development and decides to punish Cassio for causing a disturbance at the party. The next step for Iago is to harm Cassio through Roderigo. Iago creates a scenario to make things appear as if Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair so that Roderigo would attack Cassio. Iago also tricks Othello into believing that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio.

Othello feels betrayed by these events and resolves to kill his wife and Cassio. He sends Iago to kill Cassio and decides to confront his wife on the issue. The end of this play is characterized by a series of murders. Iago kills Roderigo to prevent him from revealing their plot and exonerates himself from an attempt to kill Cassio by implicating Cassios girlfriend known as Bianca.

Othello kills Desdemona in a confrontation and tries to justify his action by claiming that his wife had committed adultery. The only evidence he has is Desdemonas handkerchief that was found in Cassios lodging. In Othellos explanation, Emilia discovers Iagos plot and reveals it to Othello. Othello regrets his action after discovering that his wife was actually innocent.

Iago kills Emilia for exposing his evil intentions. Othello stabs Iago with an intention of making him feel pain in his entire life and later commits suicide when he discovers that the authorities are about to arrest him for murder. The authorities arrest Iago and execute him for his actions. A Venetian nobleman known as Lodovico makes a declaration that Graziona would be Othellos heir.

Othello Analysis: the Plot

It is evident from the play that Othellos life changes from good to bad in many instances. In the beginning of the play, Othello is a very successful army commander at the top of his career. This changes drastically when he murders his wife and later commits suicide. It is a shame for a top army commander to die under such circumstances.

Othellos happy marriage with his wife Desdemona is eventually destroyed by Iagos conspiracy. Iago succeeds in breaking Othellos marriage through his evil plot. Othellos Cyprus mission had a significant influence on his downfall. His rival Roderigo got a perfect opportunity to separate him from his beloved wife. Othello had complete trust in Iago who later betrayed him because of his selfish intentions.

Othellos weaknesses and flaws are responsible for his demise in this play. Othellos love for Desdemona is a major weakness that leads to his downfall. Iago exploits this weakness to advance his selfish plots. Iago realizes that Othello is a very jealous man in fear of losing his wife to a Venetian gentleman.

Iago goes ahead to use this weakness to convince Othello that his wife is unfaithful. Othello reacts by killing his wife and this leads to his eventual demise. Othello completely believes in the military system and does not question any information that Iago brings to him. It is this weakness that makes him to believe everything that Iago tells him without careful consideration. It is this flaw that leads to his eventual downfall.

Introduction

Throughout the world, a dark, primal aspect of humanity is not hard to find. It is silent, usually never more than a whisper until it is too late, and can be as dangerous as poison. It is jealousy. Jealousy can destroy friendships, relationships, and even alliances. William Shakespeare undoubtedly knew the significance of this ugly part of human nature when writing his play Othello.

By examining the three central male characters in this play  Lago, Othello, and Cassio  Shakespeare illustrates the causes, immediate effects, and the ever-lasting bitterness that can result by allowing one to fall prey to this self-destructive affliction.

By following closely these three characters and the results of their attitudes and actions, Shakespeare presents support to the idea that the more an individual allows oneself to associate with jealousy, the more and more likely that the individual is to do harm to both those whom they love, as well as to their own person.

It is everyones responsibility to avoid jealousy at any cost; however, many people shun this responsibility and allow themselves to propagate this vice. Nevertheless, whilst one can choose to dodge the responsibility of living jealousy-free life, one cannot dodge its consequences thereafter.

The best thing is that, when one makes a choice, he/she chooses the consequences also and this is what Othello and Lago painfully learns later. On the other hand, living a principled life pays as in the case of Cassio. Othello and Lago are punished for their jealousy, while Cassio is rewarded for living a principled life.

Othello

Othello is the protagonist in this story. Despite the fact that he is a great storyteller and a trained soldier, he has let these good qualities and reputation to be stained with jealousy and making emotional decisions (Bradley Para. 4). His jealous traits become pronounced after marrying Desdemona.

After Lago plots to stain Cassios reputation by staging an attack at the bar, Othello comes in and sacks Cassio immediately without consultations. He says, Cassio, I love thee / But never more be officer of mine (Shakespeare 36). This is immature, irrational, and emotional decision; Othello should at least do some investigations before firing Cassio. To some extent this is insensitive and selfishness which resonates well with jealousy.

Due to jealousy, Othello does not trust his wife and he is even willing to kill her based on unfounded hearsays. After finding Cassio in his house, he gullibly believes Lagos lies that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona. Othellos jealousy consumes him making him withdraw from his wife. He says, I will deny thee nothing / Whereon, I do beseech thee, grant me this / To leave me but a little to myself (Shakespeare 49).

The reason why he wants to be left alone is that he cannot contain his jealousy. Human beings are bound to make mistakes occasionally; however, Othello behaves as though he is holier that thou and this is why he cannot understand Desdemona. Othello is not perfect either and the reason he acts the way he acts is that he is jealous; not that Desdemona cannot match his principles.

Finally, Othellos jealousy hits climax when he kills his wife. Even though Lago is a schemer and is out to ruin Othellos life, he realizes how jealous Othello is and warns him, O, beware, my lord, of jealousy / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock (Shakespeare 57).

Surely, this green-eyed monster is lurking around the corner, waiting for the right time to pounce on Othello. He confesses, When I shall turn the business of my soul/ The smallest fear or doubt of her revolt / Away at once with love or jealousy (Shakespeare 58). The business of his soul is to kill his wife for he questions her revolt. This tells it all and to cap it all he says he is done with her regardless of whether what he had for her was love or jealousy.

Nevertheless, as aforementioned, when one makes a decision, he/she chooses the consequences also. The immediate effects of Othellos choice to believe every lie he hears and harbor jealousy is the breakdown of his marriage. The effects affect Othellos life together with those around him. The long-lasting effect cum rewards of Othellos decisions is guilt and eventually, death. After smothering his wife, he realizes that she is innocent and she did not give Cassio her handkerchief; Lago had planned everything.

Even if Othello does not die, this guilt will be long lasting and heavy to bear. However, the ultimate rewards of jealousy finally catch up with Othello as he kills himself. He says, I took by the throat the circumcised dog / And smote him, thus (Shakespeare 67). The circumcised dog here is his wrong decisions and jealousy and to smote it he has to die and thus gets rewards of jealousy, a dark, primal aspect of humanity.

Lago

Lago is the most flagitious character in this play. He is out to hurt everyone and settle scores as he enjoys peoples suffering. Surely, is not hard to find jealousy amongst human kinds. First, it is his wife; he thinks she has cheated on him by sleeping with Othello.

He says, It is thought abroad that twixt my sheets / He has done my office (Shakespeare 87). This is uncalled for as he cannot justify his claims and due to jealousy coupled with timidity, he kills Emilia, his wife. Then it comes to Cassio, after Cassios appointment, Lagos jealousy is obvious.

He says, I know my price, I am worth no worse a place/ One Michael Cassio, a Florentine, A fellow almost damnd in a fair wife/ As masterly as he: mere prattle, without practice (Shakespeare 29). This description is harsh and can only stem from jealousy. According to Mabillard, Othello knows Lago is not a competent man and that is why he prefers Cassio to him (Para. 5).

After arriving in Cyprus, Lago plots how to eliminate Cassio to further his plans of ruining Othello. His plans work out well and Cassio is fired; however, he does not get the post left vacant by Cassio.

He arranges Cassio to meet with Desdemona only to reveal this to Othello. Despite the fact that he knows about Cassios meeting with Desdemona, he says, Cassio, my lord! No, sure, I cannot think it/ That he would steal away so guilty-like/ Seeing you coming (Shakespeare 65). This is hypocrisy fuelled by jealousy. He has planned all these and he should defend Cassio better were it not for his jealousy.

Surely, jealousy would do anything. Apparently, Lago has been pushing Emilia to steal Desdemonas handkerchief to use it as a proof of Desdemonas infidelity. After he gets the handkerchief, he hurriedly places it in Cassios house. This gives him a foothold to accuse Desdemona of infidelity. When Othello asks for proof of infidelity, Lago vows that has seen Cassio wipe his beard with her handkerchief (Shakespeare 99). This is heinous act founded on jealousy.

Nothing can match Lagos jealousy and wickedness. He seems to enjoy every bit of other peoples sufferings. Even after getting Cassio out of his job and straining Othellos marriage, he is not satiated. He still wants Cassio dead and this is why he tells Roderigo to ambush Cassio and kill him. He tells Roderigo, &by making him incapable of Othellos place/ knocking out his brains (Shakespeare 65). This is the far jealousy and wickedness can get.

However, killing to Lago is not an issue; he kills his wife and now is planning the death of Cassio. Nevertheless, there is prize for jealousy and Lago has to pay it fully. Othello attacks Lago and wounds him badly and this is the reward of jealousy and wickedness. People attract what they are, Lago is wicked; consequently, he attracts wickedness (Bradley Para. 9).

Cassio

Cassio is a principled and he has no bad intentions whatsoever. Throughout the play, He lives by his principles and does not allow himself to be drawn into wickedness or jealousy. Due to his goodness, he is rewarded. First, Othello prefers him to Lago and trusts him with the coveted post of a lieutenant albeit inexperienced. The only time Cassio attacks someone is when he attacks Roderigo in self-defense.

After long time of remaining loyal to his work maintaining good relationship with everyone, he is rewarded with the post of Othello. Lodovico arrives with reveals that Cassio has been appointed as he says, May be the letter moved him / For, as I think, they do command him home / Deputing Cassio in his government (Shakespeare 203). This is a reward of goodness and living a principled life.

Conclusion

Surely, Shakespeare knew well about the primal nature of human beings characterized by jealousy. He knew for sure that, those who are jealous and wicked receive wickedness in return and those living by good principles receive good rewards in turn. Nature has way of regulating these events and it rewards everyone according to his/her actions without favoritism. Othello is gullible and full of jealousy.

He cannot trust his wife and this is why he accuses her of infidelity and finally kills her. He confesses that he really does not know what he feels for her is love or jealousy; however, jealousy takes precedence and he kills Desdemona based on unfounded accusations of infidelity. Lago on the other side is an epitome of extreme human wickedness. He is out to settle scores and hurt everyone around him.

This makes him kill Emilia; plots to ruin Othello, Desdemona, and Cassio. Nevertheless, due to their wickedness, Othello and Lago receive rewards of death and hurt respectively. Cassio on the other side receives good rewards due to his good principles. Shakespeares message here is, do not be deceived, you reap what you plant (Mabillard Para. 11).

Works Cited

Bradley, Alex. Shakespeare: Othello. Nd. Web.

Mabillard, Amanda. The Moral Enigma of Shakespeares Othello. 2009. Web. <http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/othello/othelloessay1.html>.

Shakespeare, William. Othello. Furness, Horace. (Ed.). Philadelphia; J. B. Lippincott Co. 1886.

The works, created by William Shakespeare, always amaze the reader and open a new world, full of dreams, devotion, love, and betrayal to them. Each character, introduced in Shakespeares plays, is unique indeed: one character may be rich, another can be poor; one of the characters is smart, another is full; some of them are quite happy for a certain period of time, and some of them cannot find their love and happiness during all their fictional lives.

To my mind, one of the most complex, captivating, and, at the same time, the most evil characters in Shakespeares plays is Iago from The Tragedy of Othello. Nowadays, the screenwriters try to present the best villains ever, however only few fictional characters may be compared to Iago.

One of such fictional characters, who may be compared to Iago, is the Joker from The Dark Knight. Each action and each word by Iago or Joker has its own sense and reason. In order to achieve the desirable purpose, they try to weight every detail and control the lives and actions of people around.

Shakespeare made his character an absolutely amoral person, who can steal, lie, or even kill to achieve the goal. Iagos amorality, his desire to have more power, and his tricks have much in common with the Jokers actions and turn out to be the best examples of pure evil people from fictions.

Shakespeares Othello is one of the most powerful pieces of writing, where the author concentrates more on people, their desires, and qualities than on the historical facts and political affairs; characters sexual anxiety is far from any political aspiration (Corns, 53).

Without any doubts, the character of Iago is one of the most crucial one in the Shakespeares play. When someone wants to know how evil looks like, it is better to think about Iago, remember his honest actions, and get a clear understanding that evil may be somewhere near. I follow him to serve my turn upon him. (Shakespeare, 1, 1, 42). These Iagos words take place almost at the beginning of the play during the conversation between Iago and Roderigo about Othello, the Moorish general.

In spite of the fact that Iago is one of the soldiers under Othellos command, Iago has rather evil intentions and the desire to take up Othellos position and does not afraid to share them with another person. From these words, it becomes clear that Iago is upset with unfair promotion; he cannot agree to the idea that now, he is under command of a person, he does not respect at all. Now, he wants to revenge, he wants to be promoted, and he is going to find some people to assist him.

Iagos actions are smart enough: first, he should be sure that the person, he shares his goals, feels the same antipathy to Othello; second, he does not share all his secrets, just those, he finds not too much harmful; and, finally, he chooses only those people, he is able to control and even blackmail.

It is necessary to admit that Iagos amorality and evil do not prevent the reader to be amazed with Iagos intelligence and abilities to control situation. For example, Iago is aware of Roderigos feelings to Desdemona and is sure that Roderigo will do anything to win this lady. This is why Iago finds it rather helpful to use Roderigos money and jewels for own goals  thus do I ever make my fool my purse (Shakespeare, 1, 3, 383).

Of course, such actions cannot be regarded as good ones, but still, Iago demonstrates the best qualities of a really good businessman. The end of the play is rather tragic, and all actions by Iago were exposed. The reader does not have an opportunity to find out what the Iagos end is, but still, his end is almost obvious  evil actions should be punished properly. To my mind, such concepts like briberies and corruptions, which are so popular nowadays, are grounded a bit from this very work by Shakespeare.

Of course, Shakespeare is not the only one, who is able to create really evil characters. Lots of writers present a huge number of antagonists, who prevent the success of the main characters, who add a bit of intrigue, and who try to achieve own goals by means of lies, murders, blackmails, etc.

Unfortunately, not each evil character may be compared and be equal to the one, created by Shakespeare. But still, even our modern cinema and literature can amaze readers and viewers. One of such antagonists, who are famous by his bad actions and intentions, is the Joker from The Dark Knight.

This character is interesting from many perspectives and causes numerous contradictions at the same time: first, he is too evil and always eager to break some rules and harm society as well as Iago, however, his attitude to some situations makes the viewer smile; secondly, his hate towards Batman makes him the main antagonist, however, some of his actions are rather smart and cause certain respect.

His horrific appearance and constant laughter do not cause positive emotions, but still, some of his words and actions should be taken into consideration as they have certain sense and even can teach something.

So, the peculiar feature that is inherent to both the Joker from The Dark Knight and Iago from Othello is their desire to break the rules, make someones life unbearable, and get unbelievable pleasure from doing all those bad things.

Someone may think that it is not reasonable to compare these two antagonists, as they existed during different periods of time, and they goals had rather different nature. However, to my mind, their unreasonable actions are worthy of attention. First of all, these two characters have one concrete enemy and tried to use other people to take revenge and kill their opponents.

For Iago, it was Othello, for the Joker, it was Batman. The Joker decides to use the mob, who hates Batman as well, in order to intimidate society, attract Batmans attention, and have enough power and money to resist everybodys favorite. Iago uses Roderigo, who also wants to take revenge upon Othello for Desdemona, Roderigos money, and Roderigos support.

However, the Joker and Iago never use money, they got from their accomplices; this is why these characters are similar to their desire to manipulate people just in order to manipulate. The Joker admits one time: Its not about money& its about sending a message. Everything burns! (The Dark Knight) The same idea is characterized Iagos intentions and actions.

Another point that unites the Joker and Iago in their words and actions is their abilities to lie, not think about the consequence, and not consider their consciousness.

At the beginning, Iago tells that he hates Othello because the latter did not promote him but promoted Cassio; however, with some time, he admits that Othello slept with Emilia, Iagos wife, and this is the major reason why Iago wants to revenge. Almost the same picture is observed in the Jokers actions: first, he admits that it was his father, who put a smile on that face (The Dark Knight); later, he presents absolutely another story that it is his wife, who tells me I ought to smile more (The Dark Knight).

The reader of Othello and the viewer of The Dark Knight can easily concede that any of their words are false. As we can observe, the actions of these two characters do not have any reason, they do not care about the rules, their society live in; these people are so evil that they have satisfaction only in case someone is suffering, however, it is even hard to imagine if these people can be aware of what satisfaction really means.

In general, the analysis of words and actions by Iago and its comparison to the Jokers actions lead to unpredictable results. These two evil characters were created in different epochs, cultures, and conditions, however, at the same time, their dreams, goals, words, and actions are so similar to each other.

It is impossible to support any of these characters, but still, it is possible to learn something from their actions, analyze their mistakes, and comprehend that evil may exist in different forms. Very often, it is very hard to find out where the true evil can be, but such great works like Othello or The Dark Knight provide us with a chance to evaluate possible examples and be careful with such Iagos or the Jokers in real life.

Works Cited

Corns, Thomas, N. A History of Seventeenth-Century English Literature. Blackwell Histories of Literature. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007.

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello, Moore of Venice. Teddington: Echo Library, 2007.

The Dark Knight. Dir. Nolan, Christopher. Perf. Bale, Christian, Ledger, Heath, and Caine, Michael. Legendary Pictures, Syncopy Films, DC Comics.

William Shakespeares Othello is a play that has been analyzed from various perspectives ranging from racism to the green-eyed monster of jealousy but the theme that seems the most inclusive of these themes is sexual insecurity. This quality is found in most of the main characters for real or imagined reasons and drives them to take extreme action, much as it does in real life.

In the lead-up to the passage to be analyzed, Iago has tried to turn Brabantio, Desdemonas father, against Othello by letting him know his daughter is making the beast with two backs (Oth. 1.1) with the Moor. He does this to help his friend, Roderigo, ostensibly, but Iagos motives are more complex than that. He is angry with Othello for choosing Cassio as his ancient, his lieutenant when he is more deserving. He hates the Moor because it is rumored that he that twixt my sheets / He has done my office. I know not ift be true, / But I for mere suspicion in that kind / Will do as if for surety (Oth. 1.3). Even if that is not true, the rumor provides Iago with the motive and a plan to destroy Othello.

Roderigo is in love with Desdemona and outraged that she has given herself to another man, particularly a black man. He depends on Iago for the strength of character needed to prevent him from committing suicide and to take revenge on his rival instead. To get the younger man to the point, Iago has to stiffen his spine. He tells Roderigo to exercise self-control to place his love for himself over his love for her. Roderigo protests that he knows he is too much in love but does not have the virtue of changing that in himself. Iago answers:

Virtue! a fig! Tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus.

Our bodies are gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners;

so that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme,

supply it with one gender of herbs or distract it with many,

either to have it sterile with idleness or manured with industry;

why, the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills.

If the balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise

another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our natures would

conduct us to most preposterous conclusions:

But we have reason to cool our raging motions,

our carnal stings, our unbitted lusts;

whereof I take this, that you call love,

to be a sect or scion. (Oth. 1.3)

Iago believes that it is he determines who he is and what he does, that he tends to himself as he would a garden, planting nettles to strengthen his toxic, hurtful self or hyssop for more courage while weeding out thyme that might make his character more pleasing. He has the power to make himself corrigible and he asks Roderigo how it could be otherwise because if a man was subject to passion without the balancing factor of reason, he would be worse than an animal. For this reason, he mockingly calls Roderigos love for Desdemona a sect or scion (Oth. 1.3), a religion of the younger mans own creation.

His speech is undermined by his metaphors. By using plants to illustrate his point he suggests that human behavior is organic and inevitable, that traits have to be planted and tended until they become full-grown at which point they take on a life of their own; and once a mans character has been created only death can change it. In the context of the play, however, Iagos credo takes on a threatening quality because it is by carefully cultivating ideas in Othellos mind that he creates a nettle that will sting Desdemona to death at the end.

Almost as if he is rehearsing for his revenge on Othello, he implants the idea in Roderigos mind that to free himself from his obsession with Desdemona he must prepare for the day she leaves the Moor or at least notices Roderigo. Put money in thy purse, he says over and over, like a gardener planting a row of lettuce. Iago fully intends to harvest that lettuce for his own benefit but first Roderigo has to be distracted by other herbs so the gardener can complete his work.

Ironically, Iago overlooks the fact that his own passion is out of control, driving him to avenge himself on Othello by accusing Cassio, the new ancient of committing adultery with Desdemona. Cassio is the man in whom Iago seems more than a little interested, at least to judge by the account he gives of sleeping with Cassio one night while the other man dreamed of Desdemona:

In sleep I heard him say, Sweet Desdemona,

Let us be wary, let us hide our loves;

And then, sir, would he gripe and wring my hand,

Cry, O sweet creature! and then kiss me hard,

As if he pluckd up kisses by the roots,

That grew upon my lips; then laid his leg

Over my thigh, and sighd and kissd; (Oth. 2.3)

It is Iagos sexual ambiguity, his preference for the company of men to the neglect of his wife, Emilia, that complicates his motives. Even his hatred for Othello is like that of a spurned lover. He is a man driven by desire, regardless of the claim he makes in his speech to Roderigo. In his case, reason has been pressed into the service of desire, and he does not see that when the two are combined, invariably it is a passion that leads the way.

Consciously or not, Iago realizes that Othello has the same fears as he has, and is just as susceptible to suggestion. When he implants the idea in Othellos mind that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona, he plays on Othellos insecurities that are only slightly greater than his own. The play does not say whether the marriage between Othello and Desdemona was consummated but does indicate that the general is not as comfortable in the boudoir as he is in an army tent. He is happiest when charming her with tales of battles and narrow escapes, and while she is willing to share that life with him, he can never be sure that it satisfies her. That fear added to his other insecurities such as his past, the color of his skin, his outsider status in Venice and the fact that he has little else to think about while in Cyprus, make Othello the ideal candidate for Iagos schemes; but, as Iago discovers, as he sows, so shall he reap.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice. Washington DC: Folger Shakespeare Library, 2004.

Outline

• Introduction: In Othello, sexual insecurity drives characters to take extreme measures.
• 2^nd paragraph: In the lead-up to the passage analyzed, Iago helps Roderigo incriminate Othello by telling Desdemonas father the two are making the beast with two backs. Iago seems to be helping a friend but his motives are mixed. Most of all he wants revenge.
• 3^rd paragraph: Roderigo loves Desdemona and is close to suicide now that she has given herself to the Moor. Iago tells him to use his self-control, that every man can make himself be what he wants. He is like a gardener creating himself by planting different seeds. Every man, Roderigo included, is able to balance his passion with reason.
• 4^th paragraph: Iagos metaphors contradict him. However, he can implant ideas in other mans minds, as he will with Othello.
• 5^th paragraph: Almost as if rehearsing, he plants the idea in Roderigos mind that he should make money for the day Desdemona turns her attention to him.
• 6^th paragraph: Iago fails to see that in his reason and passion have combined, with passion leading the way. His insecurities run deep. Although he is married to Emilia he prefers the company of men, Cassio in particular.
• 7^th paragraph: Iago and Othello have the same fears. Othello is more at home among men and in army tents than in the boudoir. Iago plays on those fears but in the end. he reaps what he has sowed.

Introduction

At the time of contrasting and comparing the traits of Shakespeares Othello and Sophocles Oedipus, it is vital to recognize that it has to be through the means of varied theatrical activities. It has to be noted that many productions and interpretations have been issued concerning there plays as they look similar.

Even if two different writers wrote them, both Oedipus and Othello are great people; they end up meeting their downfall. They also have tragic traits as they eventually kill someone they love. This essay compares and contrasts Othello and Oedipus Rex characters(Shakespeare 16).

Prominence

The two actors, Othello and Oedipus, are presented with prominent character traits. Othello, in his rein, was highly respected general, whose service record could be regarded as impeccable in the Venetian troop. On the other hand, Oedipus was just a new appointed king in his community of Thebes, guided by Tiresias within the plot.

The two leaders in the two poems were all valued and honored by their subjects in their different territories, as is clear from the settings. The two characters had to overcome several obstacles in a manner that led many of their followers to respect and honor them, and their royal positions (Shakespeare 24 & 167)

Othello can be considered to be a black member of his society. Nevertheless, at the time of the Caucasian race, he was looked upon by society as very much superior as compared to other races. Though he was much respected and honored as a general, his people still at other times, he was down looked upon just as a human being (Smith 34). The illustration of such regard and expression can be seen in the opposition of Desdemonas father.

Tragedy

When performing comparison of Othello and Oedipus, one should note on the similarity in their downfalls. In the process of fulfilling the definition of a term tragedy, the main actors have to lead their downfall. The same thing happens to the two actors; Rex Oedipus and Othello. Each one of them has some difficulties in telling what has been the truth in their leadership.

Looking at Othello, he can be considered as a person who can be easily cheated. His main mistake was trusting evil individuals and losing trust in his wife. He was just easily tricked by the masterminds of Lago, who had the minds of destroying him. They said, They are loves I bear to you (Dana 234), and he ended believing them. While when he was just about to kill his wife, he did not believe her when she said that My lord, you know I love you ( Dana 234).

After the realization of Othello that he as a king has some troubles in looking at the reality, he was misguided into believing that his own and real spouse has been engaging in extramarital affairs with one of his own trusted lieutenant named Cassio. Othello ended up killing Desdemona, and after getting to know the scheme of Lago, he ended up taking his own life, hence resulting in his downfall.

On the side of Oedipus, his past actions came back haunting him whenever he was. They led to his downfall. This fact proves that Othello is blind in his senses. This is because not only ones that Lago had deceived him, and he never opened his eyes to see what was happening. This shows that He is not observant (Bradley 23).

As is clear from Oedipus and Othello comparative essay, in contrast to what was happening to Othellos present deeds, that led to his dismissal. The protagonist of the tragedy is the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes (Brunner 176). Earlier before making a step of defeating the Sphinx, on his way, he met and killed a small group of individuals, forgetting that his predecessor, his father, King Laius was also in the group.

At the time he was summoned by the gods to find and ensure that the murderer is discovered and expelled, he gets to know through his own investigation that he was the victim who slew his own father and that one of his wives is his mother, as he married his mother by the name, Jocasta. In his investigation although, he was faced with many difficulties in seeing the reality that the prophets provided (Smith 75). This investigation might have led him to take his own life later.

Conclusion

The two of them had the same character as being prideful before the time came for their downfall. Both of them used to be men who had accomplished many extraordinary things. On top of that, they all had excellent leadership qualities empowered unto them by the Almighty if it can be concluded.

Firstly, analyzing Othellos character, he can be considered as one who had upstanding citizenship qualities and was very much famous due to his military successes (Shakespeare 39). Somehow, he can be regarded as holding mystical traits. This can hold more water by looking at the fact that he just came from a foreign land that taught him adventure experience that thunderstruck the Venetian community. ( Shakespeare, 47-48).

Considering Oedipus Rex character,, we can conclude that he was also, to an extent, a renaissance person. Just like Othello, he was known because of his successes in the army; on the other hand, his genuine pride came from his position as a king of Thebes was happen to be wise and confident in his undertakings. Oedipus stated that I Oedipus whom all men call the great. (Sophocles line 7).

Every pride of an individual can be looked upon as a catalyst, of an early stage of a downfall, which might happen in different ways. We can see that, being a pride individual, he killed his wife on the reason that she was not loyal to him at all. In the same connection, the pride, one of the traits of Oedipus, did not let the killers of Laius go undiscovered. All these led to their downfall.

Works Cited

Bradley A. C. Shakespearean Tragedy. London: MacMillan and Co., 1919. Shakespeare Online. 2009.

Shakespeare, William. Othello, the Moor of Venice. Ed. David Bevington. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 912. Print.

Smith, Shawn. Love, Pity, and Deception In Othello. Papers on Language & Literature 44.1 (2008): 3-51, 49. Master FILE Premier. EBSCOhost. Tarrant County College Library Database, Texas.

Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. X.J. Kennedy, and Dana Gioia . 6th ed. New York: Longman, 2010. 860. Print.

Dana, Gioia. Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry Drama and Writing 6th Ed. New York: X.Y Kennedy.

Brunner, M. King Oedipus Retried. London: Rosenberger & Krausz, 2000.

A tragedy drama is a drama that covers the events of human achievement and suffering as a result of the protagonists decisions at one time or another. The leaders are more likely to become victims of other people who intend to manipulate their power and good leadership skills. Although many critics consider Othello a perverted form of tragedy, it belongs to the classic tragedy as it comprises the Aristotelian tragedys characteristics. The other personage, Bianca, is another subject to a discussion. She was a prostitute which made her personality doubtful, especially in regard to her actions. Despite her shady character, she was not responsible for her downfalls in life because she was a victim of circumstances.

Shakespeares Othello can be referred to as a tragedy for several reasons. Primarily, Aristotles tragedy has several specific characteristics, including the presence of a fatal error, the admission of the error, and the epiphany, in which people imagine various ways to avoid undesirable consequences. To be classified as an Aristotelian tragedy, a film or story must be complex and include a situation in which a respectable person suffers a complete reversal of fortunes due to a fatal mistake and the discovery of it. The tragic hero suffers as much from his actions as from those of his fellows. In addition, the tragedy consists of floral elements, because it tells about good and evil and shows how they lead a person to despair. Hence, the mentioned play corresponds with most of these characteristics, which makes it a true Aristotles drama.

Apart from the abovementioned elements, Aristotles tragedy normally discloses the most heinous problems such as racial prejudice. Racism is a prominent theme in William Shakespeares Othello. It depicts European societys attitude toward racial, ethnic, and linguistic differences. In Europe, white people were the majority, and all other races were considered inferior and unimportant. Rodrigo and Iago disparage Othellos apparent race in the first scene, calling him Thick Lips and Barbary Horse, among other things (Othello 1.1.72). Most of the time, biased characters refer to Othello as an ugly creature: turn thy complexion there, Patience, thou young and rose-lipped cherubin, Ay, there look grim as hell (Othello 4.2.72-74). In other words, they used racist language to label Othello as an outsider and as less human and thus less deserving of respect. This prejudice appears to have been internalized by Othello.

Ever since the drama Othello, the Moor from Venice, Shakespeare portrayed Othello in many ways as a tragic hero and, in many cases, led to his failure. Othello is a great and noble man of high status who turns tragic as Shakespeare portrays him. He serves as the commanding general of the army in Venice, and then becomes the governor of Cyprus. The main character has an increasingly successful career, and his life seems flawless until he gets into trouble. Othello is overwhelmed by his pride and arrogance, which makes him vulnerable when it comes to correcting mistakes. From the study of this traditional tragic hero, it is clear that his disappearance is due to the presence of his arch-enemy Iago. It was also certain individual factors that destroy his success, such as self-pride and other social changes in the country.

Biancas character could be compared to Rodrigo because both were besotted by someone who did not respond enough to their advances, and neither of them quickly realized when they had been cheated. Yet, they believed that true love would eventually be returned to them. She was a prostitute; however, her profession did not determine her as a negligible person. Instead, she was rather a plaintive figure due to Cassio and Iagos attempts to use her for ill purposes.

Moreover, she was a victim of circumstances because other people contributed to her jealousy. Bianca was first depicted in act 3, scene 3, where Iago disclosed that Desdemona gave Othello a handkerchief as an expression of her love, and he would lose it in Cassios lodgings. After discovering it in the next scene, Cassio admired how the handkerchief was crafted and asked Bianca to copy it for him. Bianca, already angry at Cassio for his evident negligence in their relationship, supposed that it was a gift from another woman; yet she complied with his request. Even after a talk with Cassio, who she was deeply in love with, she said: Bianca says, I must be circumstanced (Othello 3.4.232). This proves that her surroundings were ill-mannered, and she was hapless in that situation.

In addition, Bianca was exposed to terrible attitudes from her clients. For instance, Iago stated that Cassio mistreated her as well as did her potential husbands: tis the strumpets plague/ To beguile many and be beguiled by one (Othello 4.1.115-116). Hence, Bianca realized that everybody around merely misused her and that Cassios request for a handkerchief made her vulnerable. Even after Cassio was assaulted, she still rushed to help him, while Iago accused her of all the misfortunes.

To summarize, despite that some people claimed Shakespeares Othello to be a distorted version of the tragedy, Shakespeare used the means of the classic Aristotles tragedy to develop his play. In addition, even though the protagonist had a very high rank and many other pleasures in life, he was exposed to jealousy and racial discrimination. The other character Bianca was ill-used and became a victim of circumstances. Her mishaps were not due to her infamous profession, but rather because of the people surrounding her. Therefore, Bianca could only be sympathized with since she was clearly betrayed by Cassio.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of OTHELLO, the Moor of Venice. Edited by Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine, Simon & Schuster, 2017.

Shakespeare, William. Othello: The Moor of Venice. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 8th ed. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Boston: Pearson, 2016. 962-1060. Print.