Oedipus and Othello were both honorable and heroic men who became victims of tragic falls that can be compared and contrasted with each other. Sophocles, the writer of Oedipus the King, and Williams Shakespeare, the writer of Othello, were both hugely influential playwrights of their respective generations, and their legacies continue today. The two playwrights created their masterpieces in different eras; Sophocles' life coincided with the golden age of Greek tragedy, and Shakespeare worked during the Elizabethan period. Although they were born about 2,000 years apart, their works are similar in that they could describe and revive the tragic falls of two illustrious men. The downfalls of Othello and Oedipus can be compared and contrasted through their pride, their tragic flaws, and their fate. Pride is a characteristic that generally has positive connotations, but in the case of a tragic hero it only makes the fall more tragic. Both Othello and Oedipus were very proud men before their fall. They were men of extraordinary achievement and each of them possessed the ability to be a good leader. Othello was an upstanding citizen known for his military success. He is a somewhat mystical character because he came from a foreign land where he experienced adventures that amazed the Venetians. Oedipus was also a bit of a Renaissance man. He, like Othello, was known for his military success, but his real pride came from his position as the wise and confident king of Thebes. Oedipus stated, “I Oedipus, whom all men call the great.” (Sophocles line 7) Each man's pride can be considered a catalyst and initial stage of their respective downfalls, but in different ways. Othello, as pride… middle of paper… is done, but this is what makes the characters Othello and Oedipus such tragic figures. Othello dealt with his fall from grace by committing suicide because he could not live with the act of killing Desdemona for a needless reason while Oedipus did not believe that suicide was necessary. Instead he gouged out his own eyes, saying “darkness is my world.” (Sophocles line 476) Oedipus completes his drastic fall when he is exiled from Thebes. The two characters can only be understood through pity, but by comparing and contrasting them readers can develop a better understanding of how tragic their downfalls actually were. Othello and Oedipus were similar characters in that they were both tragic heroes, but the aspects of their downfalls differed significantly. Characters could be compared and contrasted on the basis of pride, tragic flaws, and fate.