Tragic Love In Shakespeare's Antony And Cleopatra And Othello

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Tragic Love

Antony and Cleopatra and Othello are two of many tragedies that Shakespeare crafted. They contain infamous couples that will do everything they can do be with their loved one, even if that means joining them in death. These two plays share elements of marriage or loving relationships that take the reader on journeys that begin with romance and end in tragedy created by manipulation of others. Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra and Othello expose the inevitable outcomes of a tragedy through jealousy, manipulation of others and craving power, combining and ultimately leading to the dramatic deaths of the lead characters.

Marriages or relationships come in various forms; they can be committed, ruled by jealousy, or ruled by manipulation. …show more content…

Antony is the first to commit suicide, and did so without consulting his lover Cleopatra. He is a man who is always stuck between the conflict of duty or passion for life. Antony wants to be the proper military man that he has grown up as, and keep the reputation he worked hard for years to build, while still being able to live life and have a successful relationship with Cleopatra. When “Antony attempts to justify his untoward conduct [towards Caesar] in the following terms” he is also attempting to dissociate himself from his actions, allowing him to believe he is keeping his pristine reputation (Lucking, 620). The other conflicting opposites in the play that show up for Antony are the Western and Eastern ideals. The source of the Western ideals is Caesar, and how he embodies his stoic duty, imperialism and the need to invade foreign lands for power. Meanwhile, Eastern ideals stem from Cleopatra, who enjoys theatrical grandeur, the need for the superficial and has a free flowing passion for her kingdom. After much conflict between these two opposites, Antony decides that the only way he can make the choice between the two things that he loves most is to kill himself. By making the decision of suicide, Antony dies with the idea that he is a man of integrity, self-control and purpose. Once …show more content…

Othello, a military man accustomed to regimented routines and practices, places a similar dictation on his married life. Even though he is happy in battle and leading his people, being with his wife is the place that he feels happiest. The combination of being a military man and being a lover were intertwined in Othello’s life, and once he started becoming less involved with the military, he started to feel less confident in his relationship with Desdemona. Once he found about this weakness in Othello, Iago planned an epic revenge by spreading lies about Desdemona’s unfaithfulness. After countess occasions of Iago bringing forth fake proof that Desdemona was having an affair, Othello starts going completely mad. In his madness, Othello confronts Desdemona about what has has happened between her and Cassio. Othello uses the “evidence” that Iago had given him, the handkerchief that he had once given her as a token of his love. He was told by Iago that Desdemona gave it to Cassio as a sign of her new love. She denies any accusations of this happening, because she wasn’t truly guilty of those actions. Even though Desdemona keeps stating she would never do anything like that to him, Othello is still crazy with jealousy and cannot take anymore of what he thought was her lies and smothers her to death. Shortly after, Emilia enters the room and demands to know what has

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