Oedipus and Othello Essay - 573 Words

We as humans repress certain emotion to help us forget about a tragic event. In psychology catharsis is a form of technique that is used to relieve any type of anxiety by bringing repressed feelings and fears to consciousness. In tragic plays catharsis is the emotion that makes the audience feel pity, fear, and a sense of relief instead of hopelessness in the end of the play. In the tragedies Oedipus the king by Sophocles and Othello the moor of Venice by Shakespeare we feel these same emotions towards Oedipus and Othello. We pity them as the audience is faced with their tribulation. We fear because failure can hit anyone and it shows that we humans are easily susceptible. In the end the audience comes to an understanding of relief instead†¦show more content†¦We see Oedipus wife/ mother commit suicide and Oedipus blinds himself. Othello believes that he must kill the women he loves, that is innocent to rumor he held against her. Then kills him to justify the crime he commit s when he finds out the truth. The audience feels this pity even though we are repulsed by these actions. Shakespeare and Sophocles made their heroes to be these strong men with confidence, power, stature and strong judgment of reason. As both Oedipus and Othello have high standings. Like any hero they have to fulfill a quest to save both their countries. Oedipus the king of Thebes must save his kingdom from the plague and Othello the brave and skillful commander that must keep Cyprus away from the Turks. Failure is not an option for these men but, as we know their fates are not in their hands. Seeing failure in our heroes is what gives the audience a harsh reminder that we are not all that powerful and we are easily susceptible. Look at Oedipus he runs away from his fate but instead it caught up to him. Revealing the truth, he killed his real father and innocently has sexual intercourse with his mother. In the end he blinds himself and is banished from Thebes. Othello the deeply in love with his wife and was told that she was having affair with his second commanding officer. In the end he killed his wife and committed suicide. To take away ones hope is dangerous to play with, Sophocles explores thisShow MoreRelatedEssay on Oedipus and Othello 1793 Words   |  8 Pagesliterature, particularly, the will of the gods is commonly attributed to human experiences. In Oedipus the King, for instance, the oracle’s message that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his own mother suggests that he was a puppet in the hands of the gods, who manipulated the events that led to his fall. However, the character’s fate is not entirely attributable to the work of the gods. 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Othellos misfortune comes about because of his