Introduction:
As in Oedipus the King, a major theme in Othello is man's inability to reliably distinguish between what seems to be and what actually is. Explain how this shared theme of "uncertain vision" is treated somewhat differently in Othello than it is in Oedipus the King.
In this land, said the god; "who seeks shall find; Who sits with folded hands or sleeps is blind."
Thesis:
The shared theme of "uncertain vision" is treated somewhat differently in Othello than it is in Oedipus the King
Argument:
Oedipus and Othello both suffer because they believe lies that others told. However the motivations behind those lies, and the reasons for believing them are different. Iago lies out of malice. The servant in Oedipus lies because the truth would cast him in a bad light and cause him to suffer. With that in mind it is easy to see that one of the striking differences between Oedipus and Othello is that Oedipus initially benefits from his self-deception.
The three plays by Sophocles move backwards and forwards in time eventually covering the entire span of Oedipus’s life. However, much of the action takes place before the events in the play. Antigone opens years after Oedipus was banished from Thebes. The prophecy that ultimately sets the events in motion was received by Jocasta before his birth and Oedipus at Colonus includes events immediately following his death. The story of Oedipus would have been familiar to the audience and the play would be judged on the manner of its telling. In contrast the action in Othello takes place in the span of months rather than decades. When first presented the audience would have had no foreknowledge of the story so that all the material needed to be presented in a primarily linear fashion.
The plot lines are different. Oedipus is the King of Thebes. At the opening of the play he believes he is the son Polybus the king of Corinth and his queen Merope, the Dorian. What he does not know is that he was adopted by them. He is actually the natural son of Laius and Jocasta. Before his birth Jocasta received a prophesy that her son would kill his father. When Oedipus was born she bound his ankles and handed him over to a servant to dispose of. The servant hands him over to a shepherd who brings him to Corinth where he is adopted by the Royal Family. He set out from Corinth because he had received a prophesy that he would kill his father. Because of his great love and respect for Polybus he chose a self-imposed exile rather than put him at risk.
On his journey one of his adventures is a fight with an arrogant stranger and his entourage. Oedipus kills everyone except one servant who escapes, returns to Thebes and tells of the Kings death. Because the servant did not want to admit that one man could kill the entire retinue he invents a band of thieves. Laius was traveling because the Sphinx is terrorizing the city and he is going to the Oracle to find out what to do. Oedipus answered the riddle of the Sphinx, and thereby rid the city of the monster. As a reward he was made King of Thebes and married the widowed queen Jocasta. When the play Oedipus Rex opens the City of Thebes is once more suffering, a massager has just come back from the Oracle and declares the solution is to find Laius’s murder and to kill or banish him. Oedipus swears to do this.
The back story in Othello is that he is a Moorish General serving the Duke and Senate of Venice. In the course of his service he is befriended by Brabanzio and in the course of visiting his friend he encounters his beautiful daughter Desdemona and wins her heart with his stories. Brabanzio is not pleased with their marriage but acquiesces. Othello must leave immediately for Cyprus which is being threatened by an attack by a Turkish fleet and Desdemona insists on accompanying her husband. Also traveling to Cypress are Cassio a recently appointed Lieutenant, the vengeful Ensign Iago and his wife Emilia. Iago was hoping for the Lieutenant position that Othello gave to Cassio; he is seeking revenge and decides to use a platonic friendship between Cassio and Desdemona to reach these ends.
Both Oedipus and Othello meet their downfall because they believe the lies told to them. Both noble in their own way, Oedipus because of his birth and upbringing and Othello by his deeds and service. Both are proud men and their pride is a part of what leads to their down fall.
There are sweeping differences as well. Oedipus has a vested interest in not believing in the prophecies and thereby defying the gods. Historically the Greek gods were never very good about giving presumptuous mortals a break, Oedipus is no exception. That Oedipus and Jocasta do not want to believe that Oedipus is actually Jocasta’s son does not help. Although Oedipus swears to find Laius’s murderer he never considers it could be himself. Instead of looking at the broad vista of the action he focuses upon small details that he feels prove he could not be the one. Part of this is the fierce band of attackers that were described are the guilty parties in the attack. Oedipus seized that detail and latches onto it in the hope of exonerating himself. Jocasta supports this by saying that Laius was killed by strangers, and the servant spared no detail in the embroidery of the tale. By the time Oedipus examines it this savage band of armed men do not resemble himself. This is because although he killed a man in similar circumstances, he knows that he acted alone. This calls into question the validity of the whole process Oedipus has undertaken. Both Oedipus and Jocasta take the servant at his word and so not question his story.
Neither Oedipus nor Jocasta can face the possibility that the servant was wrong. It is this state of denial that allows Jocasta to tell Oedipus of the prophecy that her son would kill his father, and for Oedipus to share his story about a similar prophecy that was given to him by an oracle and instead of remarking on the coincidence they view it as evidence that prophecies do not always come true. It is similar to the way Oedipus can listen to Jocasta’s binding her child’s ankles and not connect to his own swollen feet. This information makes the audience painfully aware of the tragic irony and shows how desperately Oedipus and Jocasta do not want to admit obvious truth. It is only when the servant recants his tales that they are forced to confront it.
Othello’s story also hinges upon the ability to see the truth behind the lies told by an underling. It is differentiated from Oedipus’s vision in that Othello had nothing to gain from believing the lie. Othello suffers from isolation, and a combination of pride and insecurity. The theme of vision runs as a thread through the play from the outset when Desdemona in the course of arguing why she should be permitted to accompany her husband speaks of seeing his visage in his mind. It is carried through to the final scene when Iago is told to “Look on the tragic loading of this bed. This is thy work. The object poisons sight. Let it be hid”. Time and again the visual contrast between Othello’s black Moorish skin and the fair Desdemona is brought to mind. At the time the play was written “fair” was not just a color description, it was synonymous with beauty. At the same time regardless of his honorable character and skill as a leader Othello’s color set him apart as nothing else could.
The color difference between Othello and Desdemona is not the only way the sense of vision plays out. It also is used in how the actors search the horizon and watch the movements of ships at sea. Watching the Turkish retreat and anticipating their reunion with loved ones. Then there is the interpretation, and lies that Iago tells Othello to make him believe Desdemona is unfaithful to him and involved with Cassio. These hinge mostly on small things he claims to have witnessed.
Conclusion:
The shared theme of "uncertain vision" is treated differently in Othello than it is in Oedipus the King in that Oedipus does not want to see the truth of his own guilt while Othello does not demand “ocular proof” of another person’s misdeeds.
WorkCited
Biography. "Shakespeare." n.d. Biography. <http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323>.
Shakespeare, William. "Othello, the Moore of Venice." 1604 - 2014. MIT Shakesspeare. <http://shakespeare.mit.edu/othello/full.html>.
Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." circa 470 BCE. MIT. <http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/oedipus.html>.
Sophocles.Net. "Sophocles." 2014. Sophocles.Net. <http://www.sophocles.net/listingview.php?listingID=3>.
