Comparing the Downfalls of Sophocles Oedipus and...

Oedipus and Othello were both honorable and heroic men that became the victims of tragic downfalls that can be compared and contrasted with each other. Sophocles, the writer of Oedipus the King, and Williams Shakespeare, the writer of Othello, were both enormously influential playwrights of their respective generations and their legacy continues today. The two playwrights made their masterpieces during different eras; Sophocles life coincided with the Golden Age of Greek tragedy and Shakespeare worked during the Elizabethian period. Despite being born about 2,000 years apart, their works are similar in that they could both describe and make the tragic downfalls of two distinguished men come to life. The downfalls of Othello and†¦show more content†¦In the end, the investigation would prove costly when it would be responsible for revealing the truth behind his awful fate. Pride cannot be considered a tragic flaw because any man with the positions of either Othello or Oed ipus would posses this trait, but it most definitely makes a fall from grace more difficult to cope with. Othello and Oedipus are traditional tragic heroes, because they both possess tragic flaws. Iago has no problem fitting Othello into his plot, the cause of Othellos downfall, because Othello is easily persuaded and has an unsuspecting nature. Iago was aware of this and expressed this knowledge in the quote, The moor is of a free and open nature that thinks men that but seem to be soÂ… (Shakespeare line 442-443) Time and time again Othello believes Iago over anyone else and continuously gives into Iagos malicious traps. This quality is an encumbrance to Othello and is why he so easily believes Iago when he tells him of an untrue affair between Desdemona and Cassio. Using Othellos unsuspecting nature to his advantage, Iago compounds Othellos false beliefs by using beguiling evidence such as the handkerchief. Aso, he uses the description of Cassios mingling with Bianca where Othello mistakenly thought he was talking about Desdemona to further Othellos beliefs. While Othello may have been too naà ¯ve, Oedipus was the antithesis.Show MoreRelatedEssay The Tragedy of Othello1292 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeare masterfully crafted Othello, the Moor of Venice as an Aristotelian tragedy play. The main protagonist of the play, Othello, is the perfect example of a tragic hero. Shakespeare was influenced by Aristotle’s concept of a tragic hero and used Aristotle’s principles to create Othello. William Shakespeare attempted to create an Aristotelian tragedy play with a tragic hero and succeeded in Othello, the Moor of Venice by weaving in pity and fear into each line and action. The power