Comparing Fate In Othello And Oedipus The King

Fate plays a crucial role in both William Shakespeare’s Othello and Sophocles's Oedipus Rex. Othello the Moor and Oedipus the King both heavily experience a catharsis, or downfall, due to fate. Fate is not only a prevalent theme in both works, but a basis of plot as well. Both Shakespeare and Sophocles strategically use fate as a major theme in their plays to provide a thrilling plot and keep the audience thoroughly intrigued. Overall, fate is a major theme for both works and is a key element in each play used to enrich the plot and offer an entertaining and ever-changing storyline. Fate is evident in all works, but while it may be apparent in every work; it is very different in each. Fate in Othello does not possess the same meaning as it does in Oedipus Rex. In Othello, fate pertains to the limit that is placed on the control of one’s own destiny. In Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex, however, fate is depicted as the idea that one’s destiny in predetermined. Thus, fate can be used to show how different authors use the theme in their works and how each different vision of fate plays out in the storyline. The idea of Shakespeare’s use of fate in shown in various ways throughout Othello. Perhaps the

Like Oedipus had no choice in killing his father and marrying his mother, Othello had no choice over his race or the way fate chose who he trusted. Shakespeare plays with one of human’s greatest fears in Othello to prove a point. Just as Sophocles proves that fate is predetermined, Shakespeare uses the human fear of lack of control to depict that fate is uncontrollable and out of one’s reach. Both of these outcomes predict that fate will play itself out no matter what the circumstances are or how hard one works in order to change this. Overall, both are similar and each show a unique perspective on fate that can be brought together to form one view of fate and its