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The Tragic Hero In Oedipus Rex And Othello

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A tragic hero is a man of noble stature or high position that has a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. The men in these stories are tragic heroes whose downfall are influenced and caused by lies. In the dramas Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and Othello by William Shakespeare, the men’s will and their words shape the tragic hero’s destiny. In the play Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’s downfall was lead by his own choices. Oedipus had been raised by Polybus and Merope, the king and queen of Corinth. When he grew up, he learned about his prophecy which said he would kill his own father and marry his mother. Since he believed they were his birth parents, he was petrified. Othello did not want to hurt his parents so after hearing “all this [he] …show more content…

Othello is married to Desdemona. Throughout the story his friend, Iago, gets Othello to question Desdemona’s faithfulness. Iago tells him lies to get him to believe that his lieutenant, Cassio, is having an affair with his wife. Othello believes Iago and orders Cassio’s death. He is angered and says, “within these three days let me hear thee say/ that Cassio’s not alive” (Oth. 3.3.473-4). Othello chose to sentence Cassio to his death because of a lie he believed. He never asked Cassio about the truth because he was angry. Othello let his anger get in the way of his rational thinking causing him to make a bad decision that lead to his downfall. He also sentenced Desdemona to her death when he said, “Aye, let her rot, and perish, and be damned tonight, for she/ shall not live” (Oth. 4.1.169-170). Othello was outraged when he heard about the affair that he made rash decisions. Othello wanted to kill Desdemona for breaking his heart. However, he never asked her about the so-called affair. He ended up killing her which lead to his own downfall. Othello had been misled and believed lies which was his flaw. He caused his own downfall by deciding to kill Desdemona without affirming the …show more content…

In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’s prophecy was his fate. He was destined to marry his mother and kill his father because of the prophecy. Oedipus found out the truth at the end and realized his prophecy came true therefore saying, “I, Oedipus,/ Oedipus, damned in his birth, in his marriage damned,/ damned in the blood shed with his own hand” (Oed. 4.1121-3). His destiny was a factor that led to his downfall. He fulfilled his prophecy which he was entitled to do. In Othello, Emilia finding Desdemona’s handkerchief is fate. Desdemona had a handkerchief which was very dear to her. Desdemona dropped it and Emilia found it saying, “I am glad I have found this napkin. / This was her first remembrance from the Moor” (Oth. 3.3.291-2). This handkerchief played a role in the outcome. It was used as evidence for the affair. It had been fate that Emilia found it. Although fate plays a role in their downfall, the men’s decisions overall create their downfall. Their actions are the reason why they have their downfall. Oedipus had the choice of staying in Corinth and asking his adoptive parents about the truth. He also could’ve gotten out of the way instead of killing Laios. He made those decisions which caused his downfall. Othello could’ve confronted Desdemona and Cassio to find out the truth instead of wanting to kill them. He made those decisions on his own. Ultimately, their bad choices lead to their

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The Tragic Hero of The Crucible A tragic hero is a character who undergoes a devastating fate for the greater good. They are often protagonists meant to arouse pity by relating to the reader. The Crucible by Arthur Miller features John Proctor as its tragic hero; he is a leader of Salem who dooms himself due to his fatal flaws and mistakes. John Proctor, though a mere farmer, wields considerable influence in Salem.

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A tragic hero is a character who has the potential to have heroic qualities, but their fate is a tragic downfall. Aristotle defined a tragic hero as “a person who must evoke a sense of pity and fear in the audience. He is considered a man of misfortune that comes to him through error of judgment”. Some tragic heroes in literature are John Proctor in The Crucible and Macbeth in the play Macbeth. It is possible for two characters to be labeled a tragic hero, but the audience can feel differently about them.

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After Oedipus realizes that he fulfilled his fate of killing his father and marrying his mother, Oedipus declares,”I have been saved for something great and terrible, something strange. Well let destiny come and take me on its way”(323). Then Oedipus gouges out his own eyes so that he cannot look upon his parents in the underworld, his children, or the city he once ruled. He then asks Creon to return him to the place he should have died as a young child, the mountain. The statement reveals that Oedipus fulfilled his fate and that Oedipus truly believes destiny set him on the path of destruction.

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Othello’s jealousy, like Iago’s determination, results in his own downfall. For most of the play Othello appears to be an extremely well composed general who remains calm in the face of disaster. However once Iago confides in Othello that he believes Desdemona is cheating on him, Othello transforms into an entirely different person. Believing her to be unfaithful, Othello heartlessly suffocates Desdemona in her bed despite her denying being involved in any affair up until her final breath. Othello’s jealousy causes him to jump to conclusions and not doing his due diligence in investigating Desdemona’s possible infidelity himself.

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Great point, the parents are ultimately responsible for the prophecy being fulfilled. Oedipus’ parents arranging to have their child to be killed as a means to save themselves from the prophecy, these sets mechanism that sets events in motion. Each member of the family having a fault that leads to their own suffering.

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Othello murdered Desdemona in anger. Iago 's wife, Emilia, then reveals that Desdemona 's affair was created story of Iago. Iago murdered Emilia and Othello attempts suicide. Cassio rules Cyprus and Iago’s punishment is left for Cassio to choose. IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF OTHELLO’S CHARACTER Othello is a tragic hero.

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Truly, Oedipus sets out to change his destiny. His self determination proves he has pride in himself and confidence that he can somehow change the future. When Oedipus killed his father he allowed his pride and arrogance to control him. He was thinking with his pride and did not use self control. This hubris that is instilled in Oedipus is a serious flaw of his.

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When one considers the play Othello by William Shakespeare, Othello stands out as the main character, the tragic hero, and Iago as the antagonist. The idea that “Othello’s killing of Desdemona is not murder, but a sacrifice. He is to save Desdemona from herself, not in hate but in honour”(Bradley, 1905) is true to the reader as Desdemona can be seen as a sacrificial hero and Othello’s murder act is due to the manipulation placed on him by Iago. This manipulation leads to him killing her as for her to keep her honour. Othello’s friendship with Iago is flawed as well as the actions committed, these actions either instigate out of individual choices or manipulation.

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Due to the fact that there is not a single relationship in Othello that demonstrates true friendship, the tragedy unfolds and results in all characters ' demise. This can be seen when Othello vilifies Desdemona for being a disastrous wife and says, "I will withdraw, To furnish me with some swift means of death, For the fair devil [Desdemona]. Now art thou my lieutenant" (3.3 543-545). As a result, this shows how arguably the most sacred friendship is not even true in between Othello and Desdemona. Othello is notably naive in this instance due to the fact that he puts his wife on death row based on the suspicion Iago planted.

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Othello believes his friend Lago over Desdemona his own wife. Instead of treating her fairly and the way she deserved he argues with her and ridicules her. Desdemona is a perfect example of a wife and Othello will not believe her because she is just a woman. Othello is easily convinced his wife is cheating and feels humiliated and therefore feels it is justified for him to smother her. When Othello states, “She turned to folly, and she was a whore” (5.2.134)

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Othello’s This rage at Desdemona’s infidelity signals destmetion of his identity as a successful and loving man. It shows that he now completely loses control of himself, he no longer is that gentle man. He has become so poisoned by the manipulation of Iago, he no longer hears out for his “fair

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So in the end, Oedipus no longer thinks of himself. Thinking of his children 's impending marriage, Oedipus begs for his children and no longer can think of himself as anything more than a creature that embodies what it means to be pathetic: “When you come to the age ripe for marriage, who will he be who will run the risk, children, to take for himself the reproaches that will be banes for my parents and offspring alike? What evil is absent? Your father slew his father; he ploughed his mother, where he himself was sown, and he sired you in the same fount where he himself was sired.

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Throughout the play Othello’s blind trust in Iago led him to a perplexed state in which he was vulnerable to flaws that he did not usually struggle with. In a perplexed state Othello “becomes jealous and eventually a murderer” (Kliger 222). Without Othello’s blind trust in Iago Othello would never have become perplexed and would not have led to flaws that resulted in the murder of Desdemona. Othello recognized his growing problem as he said “There is no more but this: Away at once with love or jealousy” and yet Othello was still unable to shake his jealousy as Iago kept feeding him lies (Shakespeare III.iii.222-223). Othello became so jealous that he began to think he would be “happy if the general camp, pioneers and all, had tasted her sweet body, so [he] had nothing known” (Shakespeare III.iii.397-400).

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The term tragic hero is a character of noble birth who can emphasize with the audience by qualities. A tragic hero must create a situation that he or she can not change. According to Aristotle there are also certain characteristics in which a tragic hero must convey through their actions. In Shakespeare 's Macbeth some may see Macbeth as an antagonist, but Macbeth is a tragic hero because he holds high positions and works his way to more, recognizes his flaw, and shows responsibility for his doom.

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