Essay #1 Draft-Character Convictions Cause Chaotic Catastrophies

Those who shine the brightest may fall farthest from the heavens. When a stranger accidentally kills his own father, it could be considered shocking, but it could not yet be defined as tragic. In Oedipus Rex, it is the king's stubborn belief he has no connection to fate, and his driving need to prove himself, which leads him to his sorrowful fate. The very fact that he was the plague, which he strived to expunge from the people of his country, illustrates the dramatic irony that it is the convictions and utmost principle of characters; which lead them to what is known as a tragedy. A tragedy is created when what is considered dogma or sound to a character, whether it be destroyed or followed, leads to their eventual degradation, evoking emotions from the reader. Without the character self-realization that they are, whether it be directly or in-directly, related to a nightmarish occurrence, it cannot be considered the highest level of mourning, a tragedy.

Oedipus fights with all of his power throughout his life to avoid the fate placed upon him by the gods, but it is the very fact that he chose not to believe which led him to kill his father and sleep with his mother. Even his own father, who trusted the words of the gods, cast aside his only son, leading to the fulfillment of the prophecy and his eventual death. Throughout the play you hold abated breath as each piece of the puzzle is put into place, and you quickly realize the truth behind the prophecy mentioned. Each character begins to realize the danger of the inquiry as well, and beg Oedipus stop at one time or another. But the thing is, Oedipus is a very decent and strong character, his actions show no fear of his future, as his beliefs are absolute in his mind, even when the obvious is poking him in the face. You in fact begin to believe that even if the worst comes, the king would be able to handle such an emotional blow, which is in fact what brings about the severe emotional evocation when Othello falls into sorrow and madness. It is the character's duty in the play to move the plot and help you understand exactly who they are, and it is the reader's emotional attachment to this person who has lost everything, which creates the element of tragedy.

"You are the plague which you seek." Both Oedipus and Othello would understand the meaning of these words by the end of their individual stages, and Tiresias' warnings would have had about the same effect in either one of the plays, as neither man was one to change his mind easily. Othello is depicted as a man among men, someone who has no need for mistrust, and those whom he might; he quickly lets them feel his blade. For all his manly-freedoms of the world, Othello chose to shackle himself to his love, Desdemona, and in doing so, readily shackled himself into the fear and suspicion, which a marriage, or any relationship may hold. In truth, Othello was always impatient and quick to punish, and his morals did not change even when the love of his life was slandered as a whore. In the end, Othello pleads with Cassio to ask Iago why he committed such acts, whose response; "What you know, you know," leaves Othello with all the weight his heart can bare. Perhaps if Iago had given him all the reasons why he hated him, or gone on a long soliloquy, Othello's self blame would have lessened and the suicide could have been avoided, but Iago knows exactly the formula for a tragedy, and deals the final blow by saying his enemy already knows half the blame is his.

Even the one who brought about the eventual climax of a tragedy, is not the only one who contributed to it's fruition. Desdemona's personality and beliefs contributed just as much to Iago's scheme as any other character. Her trait of measure is her "kindness," which Iago used to weave his net "to enmesh them all." It is her life's duty to serve her lord and love him unquestionably, and do whatever is best for his favor. Desdemona's entreaties to discuss Cassio for Othello's own good, ironically heat the livid flame of hatred which Iago has breathed to life. Due to her bountiful goodness, she will not defend herself in a manner, (which is commonly used nowadays,) that would allow her to erase any doubts or insult the one she loves in the slightest, which is why she is killed. That someone so fair and truthful is slowly being sown in a tapestry of Othello's mind as a whore, liar, deciever of men, is painful to read, and creates the perfect amount of sorrow for another tragic factor.

Cassio is also a victim of his own pride and conviction. "damage beyond surgery! my honor! i have lost my honor! (is this right? fixing later...) Cassio is a man of high priorities and standards, honor being the number one factor of his importance in life. His beliefs cause him to practically beg the wife of Othello to ___ his council, which fuels the fire of jealousy in Othello's corrupted heart. His downfall in the first place was his weakness to alcohol, which he would not abide, ironically. ---<(0.0)>

(EDITING LATER!!! PLZ MATTE-KUROSAI!)
ZETSUBOUSHDA! CREATING AN ESSAY FROM NOTHING IS MAKING ME FALL IN DESPAIR!