Introduction
Oedipus Rex is one interesting story that leaves the reader with mixed feelings about the ill fate that followed Oedipus. The narrative ends with a sad note that leaves the reader wishing that all the effort that Oedipus and Jocasta put in ensuring that they did not end up fulfilling what the oracle had predicted about them. The essay intends to look at the life of Oedipus who is the main character of the book and how the gods were responsible for his downfall after the struggle he had gone through to make sure that he does not fulfill what the oracle had predicted about him.
The gods against Oedipus
The story is in a Greek setting where there are ancient aspects such as oracles and gods. The narrative revolves around the life of the main character called Oedipus who is born after a prophecy is made to Jocasta that she will give birth to a son who will kill his father and bear children with his mother. To avoid the fulfillment of this upsetting prophesy, once Oedipus is born Jocasta decides to get rid of him. She gives Oedipus to a herdsman who is supposed to get rid of him.
Her husband Laios believing that the kid had been left out in the wilderness and Jocasta believing that the servant had gotten rid of the baby that she had given him to dispose of. There are many assumptions that are made as to the servant also assumes that giving the baby to a Corinthian will ensure that the oracle is not fulfilled because the Corinthian would take the baby to a far-off land (Friedlander par 3).
Unfortunately, the gods were against Oedipus. As Oedipus is living life in Thebes, people start suffering and they, in turn, run to him because they hold him in high regard and view him as savior since he solved the Sphinx riddle for them after they had really been struggling to find a solution to it. This is what directed Oedipus in finding the true nature of his identity. Since Oedipus loves these people and Thebes, he seeks help from Tiresias who was a blind prophet.
This is where Oedipus unknowingly plunges into the journey of finding out who his biological parents are. One incident that clearly reveals that the gods were against Oedipus and were responsible for his downfall is the fact that even while he was living with his adoptive parents, the gods did not let him rest (Mitchell-Boyask par 8). Fate had to trigger him to leave his home after he learns about the oracle while he is leaving with his adopted parents. He runs away from this home believing that he was the biological son of his parents not knowing that he was only adopted.
Oedipus’s journey
While on his journey from home, the gods have to see to it that the oracle is fulfilled, not knowing, Oedipus stumbles upon a group of men where the road forks out into three and here as fate would have it, he unsuspectingly takes the life of his biological father. He comes into Thebes and just so that fate would be fulfilled he helps the people in solving the Sphinx riddle and as a sign of gratitude, they crown him king of Thebes. As a result, he unintentionally and just to show that the gods were responsible for his downfall, takes Jocasta’s hand in marriage and they bear children together. Just as the oracle had predicted that he would take his father’s life and lain with his mother and bear children with her (Foster 34).
Oedipus’s destiny
Destiny structures it that Oedipus himself would turn out to be the author of his own ruin. Once he sets his mind on finding out about what is causing Thebes’s trouble, he also places himself in the direct path to his destruction. In his pursuit, he follows up on each clue though Tiresias had been reluctant in revealing what the problem was because he knew that the outcome of it all would not be pleasant to Oedipus.
The gods had plotted for doom on Oedipus’s life and whatever turn he took seemed to bring him closer to the disaster that both he and his parents had avoided at all cost. It cost his parents that they had to get rid of him to prevent the oracle from happening. While it cost Oedipus, the effort of running away from his adoptive parents due to what the oracle had revealed. Little did he know that he was running straight into what he was evading. What makes it apparent that the gods caused Oedipus’s ruin is that all these things he does with the intention of avoiding the fulfillment of an oracle. He lives his life knowing that he has escaped the oracle since he is living far from his parents but since the truth about his identity is hidden from him, he does not know that he has indeed fulfilled the oracle (Friedlander par 3).
Othello
Oedipus cannot be compared to Othello since Othello could have investigated more into the matter. However, fate was against Oedipus because in intending to better the lives of the people of Thebes, he stumbles on the revelation that he has indeed fulfilled what the oracle had predicted and he exiles himself in despair and contempt due to the events that were conspired by the gods. In Oedipus’s case, his tragic end was a case done by the gods and as much as he tried to escape his fate, it unsuspectingly caught up with him in the end.
However, a look into Othello’s case, it can be argued that his fate was not as ill determined by the gods as that of Oedipus. In Othello, a fellow human being who was his “friend” plots his ruin by using matrimonial basis since he knew that Othello loved his wife and the fool, Iago had a capability of being evil. He uses this evil trait in him to see to it that Othello suffers for not appointing him as an official and instead he appoints another character.
Othello’s downfall
Othello’s downfall is something that he could have avoided were it not that he was blinded by the feelings of jealousy he had due to the great love that he had for his wife. His downfall is a conspiracy that was initiated by Iago who happens to be Othello’s ensign with a greed for power by mounting in position. He aspires to be appointed by Othello as his personal lieutenant but his wishes are thwarted when Florentine Michael Cassio is appointed instead.
This is when Iago gets jealous and plots disaster for Othello to get back at him, though Othello has no idea that Iago has a conspiracy against him. Iago intends to poison the minds of the Venetians against Othello and he approaches a gullible character, Rodrigo and tells him that Othello uses personal connections and politics while promoting men rather than using military prowess. Just as Iago conspires against Othello, a perfect opportunity occurs when he, Othello flees with Desdemona, who is daughter to a senator, Brabantio.
Othello’s jealousy
It just so happens that Othello is a black moor while Desdemona is a white girl and Iago uses this to spark up the senator in opposition to Othello. Brabantio tries to stop the relationship between his daughter and Othello by accusing Othello of using magic but the duke rules against this when he hears Othello declare his love for Desdemona. Due to this ruling, Brabantio has to surrender his daughter to Othello. Othello is afterward summoned by the Venetian senate to go to war in defense against the Turks. Desdemona follows him and Othello not knowing that Iago was responsible for causing the feud between him and his father in law he orders him to accompany Desdemona to Cypress.
Iago is now presented with the perfect opportunity to revenge since he has all his victims. He decides to trick Othello into believing that Cassio has been lying to Desdemona. Iago gets Cassio drank and then Rodrigo who is Iago’s accomplice in executing this plan starts up a fight with the drunken Cassio. In the event of this fight, Montano who is the retiring Cypress governor intervenes and is hurt by Cassio. Othello happens to walk in and finds the commotion in which case Iago pretends to be innocent and lays the blame on Cassio. This enrages Othello and he denounces Cassio from serving the moor (Shakespeare 32).
Iago with his evil plot in mind advises Cassio to have Desdemona intercede for him to Othello. At the same time, he plants a treasured handkerchief that Othello had given to Desdemona in Cassio’s belongings. He then tells Othello that Desdemona is having an affair and to prove it Cassio has in his possession the handkerchief that he had given to his wife. When Desdemona is questioned about the handkerchief and fails to produce it, Othello is convinced that indeed the two were having an affair. Iago advises Othello that instead of poisoning her, he should strangle her and this is exactly what he does.
When he finds out that it had been all a lie, he kills himself and dies on top of his wife. This clearly shows how gullible Othello was. His case is one in which he inflicts his own downfall. His personality greatly contributes to this downfall. He seems to trust everything that he is being told by Iago without taking the time to ask his wife about the matter. His jealous nature blinds him from being rational and instead, he agrees to everything Iago says without second thoughts (Walton 53).
Conclusion
If Othello had not been driven by the jealous feelings he had clouding his eyes, he would have realized just how faithful and truthful Desdemona was. He also has a personality problem that causes him to be convinced that indeed Desdemona could have an affair with Cassio. He seems to think that Cassio is much handsome than him and there is no reason why Desdemona would not have an affair with him. His downfall and ruin are clearly self-inflicted due to his gullible nature. Coupled with the fact that he was jealous and did not want Desdemona to be with another man. Sheer gullibility causes Othello’s ruin. Had he taken time to investigate the matter, he would have found out the plot before killing his wife and putting his trust in Iago. His downfall was clearly self-inflicted.
Works Cited
Foster, C. Thomas. “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” New York: HarperCollins, 2003.
Friedlander, Ed. “Oedipus the King”, by Sophocles. 2010. Web.
Mitchell-Boyask, Robin. Study Guide for Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. 2002. Web.
Shakespeare, William. Ed Ruffiel, Burton. Othello (Yale Shakespeare). Bloom, Harold: Yale University Press, 1912.
Walton, Keith. Strength’s Abundance: A View of Othello. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1960.