Topic > A topic of pride in William Shakespeare's Othello and Sophocles' Oedipus

IndexOthello's pride from Shakespeare's point of viewThe proud nature of the final thoughts of Sophocles' OedipusPride, a feeling that has both a good connotation than a bad connotation, it's also the feeling that maybe we can have too much, so when do we know we've had too much? Reading the plays Othello by William Shakespeare and Oedipus by Sophocles we can see how Othello and Oedipus are similar through pride. Both characters prefer to be arrogant, forcing them to make lifelong decisions that cause their downfall in their works. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Othello's Pride from Shakespeare's Point of View In the play Othello written by William Shakespeare, Othello's excessive pride is what causes his downfall. His pride prevents him from seeing the truth; he believes that the people closest to him would never betray him and this is where everything goes downhill for Othello. At the beginning of the play, Othello is deeply in love with Desdemona, daughter of the Venetian senator Brabantio. She and Othello secretly marry despite her father's disapproval. In the beginning you can see that Othello and Desdemona have a strong relationship. Othello is accused of using magic to make Desdemona fall in love with him but goes on to explain how he wooed her. Othello says: “... I consented, and often deceived her with her tears when I spoke of some painful blow my youth suffered. Once my story was over, he gave me a world of sighs for my sorrows. He swore, in faith, that it was strange, it was truly strange, it was pitiful, it was wonderfully pitiful... This is the only witchcraft I have used. Here comes the lady. Let her testify." Othello continues to express how strong his love is for Desdemona when it comes to a celebration he tells Desdemona “Come, my dear love, the purchase made, the fruits will follow; that profit is yet to come between you and me.” In this passage, Othello shows that he only wants good for his marriage and that nothing bad will happen between them because of their love. However, their strong love begins to subside due to Othello's pride and his trust in Iago. Iago is the standard bearer and is upset that Othello gave the position of lieutenant to Cassio who is inexperienced. To take revenge, Iago first begins to put the idea into Othello's head that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. Sets the handkerchief plan in motion; where Emilia takes the handkerchief and Iago places it in Cassio's hands. He also puts the idea into Othello's head that Cassio has been dreaming about Desdemona. With Iago's plan in play, this causes Othello to immediately believe Iago over his wife Desdemona. Othello does not bother to discover the truth, proving that the bond between him and Desdemona is no longer there. After experiencing so much pain, Othello ends up killing his wife and towards the end of the play he finally kills himself. Through this play, Othello's arrogance causes his greatest downfall. Proud Nature of Oedipus by Sophocles Similarly, the play Oedipus written by Sophocles also shows that Oedipus is excessively proud. Oedipus' excessive pride leads him to evade oracular prophecies but, in doing so, he ends up fulfilling the prophecy and becoming blind. The only difference between Oedipus and Othello is that Sophocles allows Oedipus to put the stories together. At the beginning of the play, Oedipus tells Creon that he will find justice for King Laius and that whoever killed him should be punished and killed. Little does he know that he is foreshadowing that it could be someone close to him and is connecting to King Laius as he talks about finding justice. He says”..