Comparing literary forms: epics, drama, and narrative in thematic development

¶ … Role of Free Will and Fate in Oedipus Rex and Othello, the Moor of Venice

Free will and fate play a major role in determining the outcome the hero experiences in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and William Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus's destiny has been predetermined and despite his many efforts, he cannot escape the future the gods have planned for him. Oedipus Rex's form relies on a chorus to serve as an emissary between the gods and the audience and ultimately aims at allowing the audience to achieve catharsis. On the contrary, in Othello, the Moor of Venice, Othello's future is determined through a series of actions that were not influenced by the gods, but rather through free will. Othello, the Moor of Venice's form breaks up the action into separate "vignettes" that ultimately highlight the depravity of man and aims to serve as a moral tale for others. The downfall of these tragic heroes can be analyzed through the roles that gods play and the roles that other individuals play.

Aristotle defined a tragic hero as "a person who is neither perfect in virtue and justice, nor one who falls into misfortune through vice and depravity, but rather, one who succumbs through some miscalculation," or due to a tragic flaw (Brown). Oedipus's tragic flaw is a combination of stubbornness and divine intervention. Throughout the play, Oedipus's stubbornness, coupled with the fact that he does not know who his biological parents are, prevent him from initially understanding his role in his biological father's death. Moreover, because he does not know the full truth about his family, he does not recognize that he has been manipulated by divine forces into killing his father and subsequently marrying his mother. On the other hand, Othello's actions are motivated by jealousy and his inability to critically analyze the "facts" that have been presented before him by Iago.

In Oedipus Rex, divine powers have been interfering with Oedipus' life before he was born. Due to a slight in hospitality committed by Laius, Oedipus's father and the former King of Thebes, the gods took it upon themselves to curse Laius and his family for generations to come. While the gods do not directly interfere with Oedipus and Laius's lives, they prophesize that these two men will destroy each other and themselves; paradoxically, each man is only given half the prophecy and despite their efforts to prevent it from coming true, every action they take brings them closer to fulfilling it. Additionally, not only do the gods manipulate Oedipus into murdering his father, but they also punish Thebes for the murder. As punishment, the city is plagued with blight and pestilence and the only way that Thebes will return to its former glory is if Laius's murder is brought to justice. Thus, not only do the gods manipulate him into patricide, but they also publically punish him for what they wanted to happen. Even though Oedipus and Laius tried to prevent the gods' plans from coming true, they could not avoid their fates, which demonstrates that divine intervention trumps free will.

On the other hand, Othello's destiny is not determined by gods, but rather through a series of choices that he makes. Othello falls victim to Iago's manipulations because he falsely trusts Iago over his wife, Desdemona. Iago's manipulations are motivated by jealousy and hate, which he admits to Roderigo through a series of conversations. Moreover, Othello is not Iago's only victim, however, he is the one person that had the most to lose. After discovering Othello's weakness -- his extreme, blinding love for Desdemona -- Iago convinces Othello that she has been cheating on him. Moreover, Othello recognizes that the tragic events that occur in the play are his fault and admits that he was "one that loved not wisely, but too well" and that he was "one not easily jealous; but being wrought/Perplex'd in the extreme" (Shakespeare 5.2.394-396).