Comparison/contrast paper on Othello and Oedipus

1. Trameka Love
English 131-D4
Writing Project #2
April 21, 2008
Endless Night
Two of the greatest tragic plays ever written are Oedipus the King, the work
of Sophocles, and Othello, the work of William Shakespeare. These two literary
works depict the fall of two noble men—Oedipus Rex and Othello, respectively—
into the depths of an endless night of grief and utter misery. Though both tragedies
leave the reader with a great sense of empathy for what has befallen the noble hero,
I find the tragedy of the demise of Oedipus to be far more dire and heart wrenching
than the downfall of Othello. The discovery, the reversal, and the catharsis that
occurs as a result of the tragic events that occur in Oedipus lead me to feel that the
tragedy of Oedipus the King leaves the hero much worse off than the tragedy of
Othello.
In Othello, Othello experiences discovery of the full truth when he speaks of
seeing the handkerchief he gave Desdemona in Cassio’s hand, and Emilia replies:
O thou dull Moor! That handkerchief thou speak’st of
I found by fortune and did give my husband;
For often, with a solemn earnestness,
More than indeed belonged to such a trifle,

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He begged of me to steal’t. (5.2.232-236)
Othello then realizes that he has killed his wife based on a lie. This is, in
truth, a great burden to bear, however, Oedipus experiences discovery of a
truth too horrible to even fathom. The Shepherd of Laios informs Oedipus
that the baby he had saved from death on Mount Kithairon was given to him
by Iocaste, Oedipus’ wife. The shepherd says to Oedipus that there is no
man more wretched than Oedipus (Scene IV 56-69). Oedipus replies by
saying:
I, Oedipus,
Oedipus, damned in his birth, in his marriage damned,
Damned in the blood he shed with his own hand! (Scene IV 72-74)
Oedipus realizes that he has killed his father, married his mother, and his
children are also his siblings. This is a discovery which is too great to bear!
At the beginning of Othello, Othello is a happily-married, well-liked
general of the Venetian troops. By the end of the tragedy, Othello no longer
has a wife, is thought of as insane and abusive, and is stripped of his position
as general. This reversal weighs so heavily on Othello that he takes his own
life. As tragic as this is, the reversal of Oedipus is even more heartrending
and miserable. Oedipus is the reigning king of Thebes at the beginning of
Oedipus the King. He is thought of as a hero, a good ruler, a wonderful

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husband, an excellent father, and favored by the gods. As the play
concludes, Oedipus is blind, penniless, despised, wifeless, and his children
are taken from him. He discovers the god’s prophecy against him at his
birth. Oedipus is banished from Thebes and has neither solace amongst men
nor amongst the gods. That is utter misery.
In Othello, the catharsis that takes place, i.e. the suicide of Othello,
the murder of Desdemona, and the murder of Emilia by Iago, leaves the
reader appalled at the great loss of life due to the selfishness and hatred of
one man, Iago. However, in Oedipus, Iocaste hangs herself after learning
that she is both mother and wife to Oedipus. Oedipus blinds himself with her
brooches and offers himself to Creon to be banished or killed. This catharsis
is so self-sacrificing, because Oedipus is willing to suffer for an unknown
length of time in order to save the people of Thebes from further plagues.
In conclusion, while both Oedipus and Othello are indeed great
tragedies, I have greater empathy for Oedipus. The discovery, the reversal,
and catharsis he experienced are what no person should have to ever go
through. Othello’s plight is very unfortunate, but is more of an ordinary
occurrence. I feel very deeply for Oedipus because it is one thing to be
forsaken by man, but to be forsaken by the gods and man is too great a

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burden to bear. It is like living through endless night with no hope of joy or
light.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and
Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 10 ed. New York: Longman, 2007. 1463.
Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and
Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 10 ed. New York: Longman, 2007. 1313-
1314.