Comparing the Downfalls of Sophocles' Oedipus and Shakespeare's Othello

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 Oedipus can be compared and contrasted through their pride, tragic flaws, and fate.

Pride is a characteristic that generally has good connotations, but in the case of a tragic hero it only makes the downfall more tragic. Both Othello and Oedipus were very prideful men prior to their downfalls. They were men of extraordinary accomplishments and they each possessed the ability to be a good leader. Othello was an upstanding citizen who was known for his military success. He is somewhat of a mystical character because he came from a foreign land where he experienced adventures that astounded the Venetians. Oedipus was also somewhat of a Renaissance man. He, like Othello, was known for his military success, but his true pride came from his position as a wise and confident king of Thebes. Oedipus stated, "I Oedipus whom all men call the great." (Sophocles line 7) Each man's pride can be considered a catalyst and early stage to their respective downfalls, but in different ways. Othello, as a prid...

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... is done, but that is what makes the characters Othello and Oedipus such tragic figures. Othello dealt with his fall from grace by committing suicide because he could not live with his deed of killing Desdemona for a pointless reason whereas Oedipus did not feel suicide was necessary. Instead he gouged his eyes out saying "darkness is my world." (Sophocles line 476) Oedipus completes his drastic downfall when he is exiled from Thebes. The two characters can only be understood through pity, but by comparing and contrasting the two characters the readers can develop a better understanding of how tragic their downfalls actually were. Othello and Oedipus were similar characters in that they were both tragic heroes, but the aspects of their downfalls differed significantly. The characters could be compared and contrasted on the bases of pride, tragic flaws, and fate.