Similarities Between Oedipus And Othello

The downfall of Oedipus is the work of the gods; the downfall of Othello is self-inflicted.” The time periods and customs they had during that time, in each of these stories help lead to the downfall of Oedipus and Othello. The age of the two characters plays a role in who is to blame for the downfall of each. The personality of each differed, Oedipus being more selfless and Othello more selfish. Oedipus looked to his people and to the gods, Othello looked to his own strength. The endings of how they dealt with their own downfall differed greatly; the protagonist in both Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Shakespeare’s Othello had fatal flaws; Oedipus had his arrogance of fate and Othello had jealousy of self-inflicted ideas of importance. The time periods for the two plays took place around 1,800 years apart. Sophocles’ Oedipus …show more content…
. It is Oedipus’ duty as King to make Thebes a prosperous and powerful place and anything that prevents this falls on the King. “Let them all hear it… It is for them I suffer, more than for myself.” (Sophocles, Prologue 95-96). In saying this he is letting his people know that when they suffer he suffers even more. His suffering comes from the responsibility he feels for his people and feels the pain of every last one of his subjects. Oedipus put his people first wanting to solve this problem in any way possible. When he finds out that it is him who is the cause of this due to the fate the gods choose for him he blinded himself saying “This punishment… That I have laid upon myself is just” (Exodos 142-43). Oedipus knew this was his fate decided at his birth by the gods and in the end did not try to fight the gods any longer putting his people first. Othello was the opposite in how he dealt with his downfall letting his pride and jealousy rule the choices of