Mike Bozzo
Professor Katie Robinson
English 102
5 October 2014
The Blame Game
The Downfall of Oedipus and Othello

Both Othello and Oedipus are dramatic plays of tragic circumstances. Although written at different times and by different types of writers, each play has some of the same elements. Deceit, violence and self-destruction reign throughout. Each features men of great power reduced to nothing. However, the downfall of Oedipus is the work of the gods; the downfall of Othello is self-inflicted. Little is known of Shakespeare’s early life, but by 1592 he was well-established and successful in his vocation.(Folger, xxiii) By the time Othello was first performed, the author was already one of the most popular playwrights of his day and many of his best plays were already behind him.(Folger, xvi) His career spanned about 20 years. (New Folger, xxvi)
Othello was composed between 1601 and 1604, with its first performance being in 1604. (Folger, x) The play was very popular and records indicate it remained popular through the seventeenth century. The source of the play was a short story from the Hecatommitchi, a collection of short stories by an Italian named Giovanni Battista Giraldi, published in 1565. (Folger, xi) The specific story is from a section of the collection titled “The Unfaithfulness of Husbands and Wives.”(Folger,xi) The main type of imagery used in Othello is that of animals in action, preying on one another. (Shakespeare’s Imagery, 335)
In the play, Othello is newly married to Desdemona. Although they seem to be very much in love, it appears the marriage is doomed from the very beginning. He is a Moor, described as dark skinned and foreign. She is white and Venetian. There is a considerable age difference between them. They marry in secret, which angers her father. Immediately after they are married, Othello is needed to travel to Cyprus to do battle with the Turks which would typically cause a separation. After much debate Desdemona is allowed to travel with her husband to Cyprus. During their travel on separate ships, a storm arises. The storm is severe, they each barely survive. All the while Iago, who “hates the Moor” is plotting to destroy Othello. (Othello, 1.3, 429)
Iago has many reasons for wanting to bring down Othello, the main one being that he over looked him for the position of lieutenant in favor of Cassio. But he doesn’t just use deceit to try to get the promotion he thinks he deserves; he also wants to ruin Othello’s happiness. He convinces Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful with Cassio; killing two birds with one stone. Othello is unable to discern truth from lies, resulting in the most heinous of acts; the murder of his wife. After, when the truth is revealed through Iago’s wife Emilia, Othello is unable to live with what he has done and kills himself.
Sophocles is most often associated with Athens at the height of her glory and power. (Sophocles, 1) Although sources for his life are unreliable, we know he was born around 496 B.C. and lived to be 90. (Sophocles 6) He was a tragic dramatist and served as an Athenian general. (Literature, 947) He is also one of the three great Greek writers of tragedy whose work has survived. (Literature, 947) During his time of writing, tragedies were performed as a competition. Sophocles won his first award in 468 B.C. and went on to win others. His career produced more than 120 plays, but only 7 have survived. (Literature, 947)
Oedipus is believed to have been first produced in 425 B.C. (Literature, 947). It premiered at the Great Dionysia feast day after Athens had survived a plague. The play was later given the name Oedipus Tyrannos to separate it from Sophocles last Oedipus play, Oedipus at Colonus. It is considered a Greek tragedy type of play. This type of play incorporates spoken verse by actors followed by sung verse by a chorus. (Sophocles, 5) The name Oedipus also means “swollen foot” or “club foot,” which relates to the injury the main character sustained in infancy. (Literature, 947)
Oedipus is based on a Greek legend. The king and queen of Thebes are told by an oracle that their son would kill his father and marry his mother. In an attempt to avoid this fate, when a son is born to them they have him taken out to the wilderness, his feet bound together and left to die. The child is found, saved and adopted by the king and queen of Corinth. As a young man, Oedipus hears the prophesy of the oracle concerning him. He decides to leave Corinth to avoid his fate. Along the road, he encounters seemingly ordinary old man traveling. There is a struggle between the two over their position on the road and Oedipus kills the man. Also during his journey he encounters the Sphinx, who is afflicting the city of Thebes. Oedipus defeats the Sphinx by answering her riddle. As a reward Oedipus marries the widowed queen of Thebes and becomes king.
The play begins with Oedipus as an established ruler of Thebes for many years.The city of Thebes is again afflicted, it is determined by Oedipus that they must find and punish whoever murder the king to put an end to their troubles. Through investigation and questioning of key people within the king’s court, Oedipus learns the truth. The old man he murdered on the road was King Laius. The king and queen of Corinth were not his real parents. His wife Queen Jocasta, whom he has born children with, is actually his mother. He has unknowingly fulfilled the prophesy spoken of him anyway. Distraught over learning the truth of what they have done, Queen Jocasta commits suicide and Oedipus gauges out his own eyes.
After reading Othello, one might be inclined to place all the blame on Iago. He certainly earned the title of “bad guy” and deserves to be blamed for what happened to Othello. However, although Iago was deceitful and manipulative, he is not completely at fault for the final events of the play. Ultimately, it is Othello who holds the blame for what happened. He is the one who did not attempt to separate truth from lies. He is the one put his trust Iago someone he didn’t even trust enough to make his lieutenant, over his own wife or even his own feelings. And it was his hands that strangled Desdemona. Othello is responsible for his actions, no one forced him to do what he did, and his downfall was his own.
By contrast, Oedipus’ actions were taken based on the circumstances in which he found himself. Although the choices he made led to a self-fulfillment of the prophesy, there was no malice involved. He didn’t knowingly kill his father and marry his mother. During the time of Oedipus, the gods controlled people’s fates. The only thing Oedipus is guilty of is trying to avoid a disastrous fate predicted by the same gods who controlled his life. One can assume that if an oracle can predict his fate, an oracle could have also let him know what he was doing was wrong. However, the gods remained silent even when Oedipus was taking steps to seal his predicted fate. Oedipus is responsible for his actions, but his downfall was the work of the gods.
In conclusion, it is clear that both Othello and Oedipus suffered devastatingly tragic events in their life. At first glance it would appear that the blame for Othello’s downfall would lie with Iago that is not the case. Upon further investigation one can conclude that in the end, it is Othello who must take the blame and suffer the consequences for his actions; which he did, with his suicide. With Oedipus it is clear from the beginning that he is innocent in everything that happened. And although he suffers the consequences for his actions, he is not to blame. No one who has either of these plays would disagree with the label of “tragedy” when referring to them. But while the events of both plays are equal in their events being tragic, sad and destructive, that is where their similarities end. Their one differentiating fact lies in who is responsible.

Thesis:
The downfall of Oedipus is the work of the gods, but the downfall of Othello is self-inflicted.

Outline:
1. Introduction
2. Shakespeare A. information about the author of Othello 3. Othello A. Background information B. Synopsis
4. Sophocles A. Information about the author of Oedipus
5. Oedipus A. Background information B. Synopsis
6. The downfall of Oedipus.
7. The downfall of Othello.
8. Conclusion

Works Cited
Scodel, Ruth. "Sophocles." Scodel, Ruth. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1984.
Shakespeare, William. "Othello." Shakespeare, The Folger Library Geral Reader's. The Tragedy of Othello, The Moore of Venice. New York: Washington Square Pres, Inc., 1957.
"The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice." Shakespeare, William. The New Folger Library Shakespeare. New York: Washington Square Press, 1993.
Sophecles. "The Oedipus Plays of Sophacles." Roche, translatlion by Paul. New York: New American Library, 1958.
Spurgeon, Carline. "Shakespeare's Imagery and What it Tells Us." Spurgeon, Caroline. New York: Cambridge University Press American Branch, 1971.
Shakespear, William “Othello”. An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry Drama and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th Compact ed. New York: Pearson, 2013. 1002- 1102 Print