By the end of the play, Othello does not even try to seek out the truth. When he finally talks to Desdemona, he is so outraged what she has to say does not matter. His mind is already made up and she does not stand a chance. Truth becomes apparent for him when it is too late. He tells Lodovico that he is Desdemona's murderer and that he "loved not wisely, but too well" (Shakespeare V.ii. 240). Oedipus, too, becomes aware of his own foolishness when it is too late for him to correct anything. Truth, they discover, can be quite far from what they once believed. Oedipus does not suffer from jealousy but he does fall victim to arrogance. It can be just as damaging as jealousy when it comes to clouding judgment and limiting logic. With Oedipus, Sophocles allows the play to come full circle with the chorus and their interpretation. Oedipus has the additional benefit of others pointing him in the right direction. While Iago tempts Othello to lean toward evil, Oedipus is surrounded by people that urge him to avoid heartbreak by looking away from the truth. Othello's uncertain vision ends with when his jealousy takes over. Once in the clutches of that monster, he does not stand a chance when it comes logic. Oedipus and Othello learn their lessons and Sophocles brings the chorus into the equation...
Shakespeare and Sophocles understood the human mind and how frail it con be when it comes to truth and how what we want to believe becomes a factor in life even when it is nowhere near the truth. Both men have opportunities to see the truth -- if they will only back away from their emotions. They choose instead to follow their desires and feed their insecurities. These men believe they have a firm grasp on truth; they think they know what is best for them. They have uncertain visions and they are deadly. We look at their stories and think they are extreme but the truth is that they truly represent the human heart when it is selfish and arrogant, feeding only egotistical desires.
Essay Topic Examples 1. The Tragic Flaw in Shakespeare's Hamlet: Discuss the concept of 'tragic flaw' or 'hamartia' and how Hamlet's indecisiveness and obsession with introspection lead to his downfall. Analyze how this flaw is essential to the plot development and the unfolding of tragedy in the play. 2. Portrayal of Women in Othello: Examine the roles of Desdemona and Emilia in Othello and explore how
She does not accept a world in which their native land has fallen and they have no emotional reaction to leaving it. So she negotiates an identity which has lost something. When her husband cannot accept this identity, and then apparently abandons her at the train station, she negotiates the idea of an identity that is strong enough to survive and find love and gratification and recognition without him.
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