Love’s Destruction
Jocasta and Emilia, important minor characters in their plays, both showcase the power of love as well as how destructive it can be. Emilia and Jocasta both unknowingly end their own lives, as well as others, and spread tragedy throughout the towns in which they lived. It is believed that in 425 B.C., Sophocles first produced Oedipus the King (Theater of Sophocles). In the play, Oedipus the King, Jocasta is the main character, Oedipus’, mother and wife. Jocasta’s love for Oedipus ultimately destroys him and results in her death. Sophocles helped shape the heroic ideal that is later embodied in medieval romance, which Shakespeare traditionally uses in Othello (Zerba). William Shakespeare wrote Othello in about 1604 (The
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At this time, Othello has killed Desdemona and has forever ruined his own life. By her trying to stop the madness, her husband, who is still filled with hatred and jealousy, kills her.
In the play Othello, although Emilia is a minor character, she signifies plenty of importance. Emilia is crucial to Iago’s plan to wreck Othello’s life. Without Emilia, Iago could have never gotten a hold of Desdemona’s handkerchief. The handkerchief was used as a tool of persuasion by Iago to create the illusion that Desdemona was having an affair with Cassio(Tiles). Without seeing the handkerchief, Othello would have never believed such harsh accusations of his wife having the affair. Emilia in essence is the key player in Iago’s plan. Unfortunately, she does not realize what he has done until it is too late. Overall, Emilia’s situation in Othello is comparable to Jocasta’s in the play Oedipus the King.
Oedipus the King is a tragedy that displays irony throughout the play. In the play, King Laius and his wife Jocasta learn that in the prophecy their newborn son, Oedipus, will kill his father and marry his mother. In order to prevent the prophecy from occurring, they decide to bind and tie his ankles and then abandoned him. When Oedipus grew up, he eventually learned about this prophecy and decided to leave his parents. What he did not realize was that the parents who raised him were not his biological parents. On his voyage to Thebes, Oedipus ended up in a chariot accident
Oedipus perceives such acts as offerings for him which causes him to think he is greater than those who surround him. The townspeople pray and worship Oedipus, allowing him to consider himself their "world-renowned king" (Sophocles 10). With the belief of having such high power, Oedipus believes he can determine his own fate. This causes him to be blind of his past and oblivious to the facts. With the mindset of being higher than everyone, Oedipus' arrogance blinds him intellectually from figuring out who his real parents are. Instead of analyzing his childhood in attempt to figure out the truth, he does not question the past and sprites those who challenge him. Oedipus is aware that when he was three days old his "ankles [were] pierced and pinned/ together, gave it to be cast away/ by others on the trackless mountain side" (Sophocles 726-28). He is also aware that the oracle of Thebes declared that one day he would "slay his father and wed his mother" (Sophocles 1). However, his hubris personality prevents him from realizing that he, in fact, is Laius's son. Instead, Oedipus refer to himself as "Fortunes favorite
As the play proceeds and Oedipus is passed from hand to hand, he eventually ends up in the home of King Polybus and Queen Merope were he grows into a young man being fed the lie that they were his true parents. When Oedipus is told the prophecy that he will kill his father he flees in an attempt to avoid the murder. However, as fate would have it he ran to a crossroad where he fulfilled the prophecy killing King Laius, his true father. While Oedipus continues to run he meets Jocasta, his birth mother, whom he eventually marries and has children with. If Jocasta had kept Oedipus as a baby and raised him or just killed him herself there would have been no chance of the prophecy coming true.
One day, Oedipus went to the Oracle of Delphi and found out that he was destined to kill his father and sleep with his mother. Oedipus tried to escape his fate by running away from Corinth, leaving who he thought were his real parents. However, he ended up running right into his real father. He saw a group of people riding a chariot at the crossroads and assumed that they were thieves. Laois happened to be one of them, and Oedipus killed him not knowing that he was his real dad. This is important since Oedipus fulfilled part of the prophecy. Oedipus remembered about his encounter with the chariot near the end of the play and said, “But he more than paid for it and soon was struck by the scepter from this very hand, lying on his back, at once thrown out of the car. I killed them all” (Sophocles, 39). Quite soon, he also won the throne of Thebes by answering the riddle of the Sphinx and unknowingly married Iocaste, his real mother.
Oedipus is the king of Thebes and unknown to him he is married to his mother Jocasta queen of Thebes. He does not realize that many years ago he had killed his real father without knowing it. Oedipus is seen as god like to the people of Thebes because it was him who solved the sphinxes riddles. In the play he is accused by Teiresias of killing the king and Oedipus blames his brother in law and kreon of trying to over throw him. Then his wife Jocasta comes into the scene and tells a story of how the king was killed. It is then that Oedipus learns of his childhood and becomes more suspicious then ever. He then calls a shepherd and a messenger to help answer questions. The people tell him to stop asking about the death because he may not like the answer but Oedipus makes the ultimate sacrifice and continues to
At the beginning of the play, Desdemona tells her father that her obedience to him is secondary to her obedience to Othello. She proves to Othello time and time again how loyal she is, although Othello still believes that she betrays him. When Othello is subsequently blinded by jealousy, Desdemona knows her untimely death could be prevented. Instead of rebelling or running away, she is loyal to Othello until she dies. She asks Othello what she has done to anger him, because her intentions thus far had been only to please Othello. She learns of her fictitious betrayal, and knows she is not guilty, yet she lets Othello kill her for a deed she did not commit. Then when Emilia finds her dying and asks who killed her, Desdemona tells her that she killed herself and asks Emilia to make things right between Othello and her. She has been betrayed by Othello, yet she remains loyal to him and spares him of any punishment for his actions. Then, she dies hoping that Othello will one day forgive
Fate chose him to kill his dad, marry his mom, and discover it all in Oedipus Rex, Sophocles’ tragedy. Oedipus was so determined to save Thebes from the plague bestowed on them by Apollo. But little did he know that he was the source of it all. His constant reversal of fortune, neutrality, and suffering make him the perfect example of a classic Greek tragic hero.
Oedipus the King was written by Sophocles and was is titled Oedipus Rex in Latin. It is one of the most well-known Greek tragedies. As is the case with Greek tragedies—or roughly most tragedies that make their way to stage—fate plays a key role in the events in Oedipus Rex. Oedipus discovers there is a plague on his city. The only way to lift the plague is by slaying the former king’s killer. As the play’s acts unfold one discovers about the prophecy concerning Oedipus. The prophecy states that Oedipus is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. But was this just by chance or his predetermined fate.
Emilia is the wife of Iago and Desdemona’s maidservant. Emilia, much like Desdemona, does not have much power but once again her presence has an effect. Her role in the play, apart from being Desdemona’s maid, is to fetch
Othello believes that Desdemona is his possession, an object in his life which is supposed to show he honour and reputation as a man, therefore the belief that Desdemona has broken that honour and nobility forces Othello to destroy her.
Desdemona’s death reveals the conflicting character of Othello who first murders her, then the guilt for his actions pour out like a waterfall and he valiantly admits to his crime. Throughout the play, Othello’s character creates sympathetic and unsympathetic feelings simultaneously, producing an ambivalent response towards him.
When Othello is cognizant of Iago’s scheme, immediately Othello goes to attack him avenging the impacts Iago’s plan creates. Othello is upset that he could let Iago manipulate his thoughts and affect him drastically which leads to him killing his wife. He is full of guilt, anguish and overall is heartbroken. He lays over Desdemona and kisses her one last time. This show of affection is full of sorrow and symbolizes his immense love for her. Full of regret and adoration towards his wife, he stabs himself and dies beside her. Othello truly love Desdemona as he is in despair of his
As Othello came to his breaking point, desdemona foreshadows her own death and he lets jealousy take over. When Othello can’t dismiss his suspicions of his wife being unfaithful any longer he starts to lose his morality . After confronting Desdemona of her “crimes” he decides to carry out his overall plan to end his trues loves life. When he realizes the grave mistake he had made by taking an honest Desdemona's life he can no longer live with himself. Othello decides the only way to right his wrong is to take his own life.
In Othello, Desdemona is killed as of a result of Othello’s jealousy and rage in which was created through his insecurities about Desdemona. Othello’s downfall is the creation of a suspenseful end that makes the audience question who’s to blame for Othello’s downfall because of jealousy from successful general to a murder.
Throughout the tragedy of Othello Shakespeare does an impressive job of quickly introducing and manipulating his main characters. His talents are no less when it comes to the creation and development of Emilia. Though it appears that Emilia is both a loyal and obedient wife, her actions speak much louder than her words. When Emilia betrays the sisterhood within the play of Othello much is revealed to the reader regarding her character. Through close reading and interpretation the reader may come to the realization that Emilia possessed a dangerously low self-esteem, never honestly loved someone wholeheartedly, and ultimately, acted out of jealousy of Desdemona.
Oedipus the King portrays the tale of Oedipus, a man who becomes the king of Thebes, while on the other side fulfilling a prophecy that he would kill his father, Laius, and marry with his mother, Jocasta. Many parts in the character of the myth of Oedipus come to see before the opening scene of the play. In his youth, Laius was a shown in play guest of King Pelops of Elis, and became the tutor of Chrysippus in the play. He is the youngest of the king's sons. He then breaks the sacred laws of hospitality by kidnapping and doing some sexual abuseswith Chrysippus. He rapes Chrysippus, who according to some versions in the play killed himself in shame. The murder becomes a heavy burden and this cast a doom over Laius, his son Oedipus, and all of