The plays Othello and Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, have many
similarities and differences. Two main characters Iago, of Othello, and Hamlet,
of Hamlet, can be compared and contrasted through characterization.
Characterization is the represent ion of characteristics or motives of a
character. Both characters have different character traits which make them truly
different from one another, but their ending resolutions are remarkably the
same. In Othello, Iago is a very manipulative and cunning character. Iago's
entire scheme begins when Cassio is given the position that Iago wanted. Iago
then comes up with numerous ideas and plots to steal the position he feels he
most deserves. Iago decei s, steals, and kills to gain that position. Iago lies
to his loved ones including his wife and friends. Iago tricks Othello into
beleiving that his own wife, Desdemona, is having an affair, without any
concrete proof. Othello is so caught up in Iago's l s that he refuses to believe
Desdemona when she denies the whole thing. Iago also manages to steal from his
own friend, Roderigo, without feeling guilty. He uses the money that Roderigo
gives him to try and win over Desdemona. When Roderigo discovers th Iago has
been using his money he screams at Iago and threatens to kill him. However, Iago
being very manipulative tells makes up a plot that involves Roderigo to capture
the heart of Desdemona. Roderigo believes Iago and forgets about Iago stealing
his oney. Iago's plan is for Roderigo to kill Cassio. At the ending of the play,
Iago's plot is given away to Othello by his own wife, Emilia. Iago realizes that
his plot has been revealed and sees his wife as an obstacle and an annoying
person who has let t his secret, so he kills her. Iago's merciless taking of
Emilia, his wife, and Roderigo, his friend, lives is another one of Iago's
characteristic of a an immoral human being who's main concern is to protect
himself. On the other hand, in Hamlet, Hamle is the perfect example of the
tragic hero. Hamlet has all the good traits needed to be a tragic hero. He is
brave and daring. One example of this is that when he went to England, he was
taking a big risk. If his plan didn't work, he would have been exec ed. Hamlet
is also loyal. His loyalty to his father, was the reason he was so angry at
Claudius and his Mother. Claudius married King Hamlet's wife shortly after King
Hamlet's death. Another trait of Hamlet was that he was intelligent. He was able
to t nk up the idea of faking insanity, in order to get more information about
Claudius. But Hamlet like all other tragic hero's had a flaw. He couldn't get
around to doing anything, because he couldn't move on. It took him a long time
to stop grieving about is father, because he didn't want to move past that part
of his life. And after he finally did, Hamlet couldn't get around to killing
Claudius. He kept pretending he was insane even after he was sure that Claudius
killed his father. When Hamlet was chal nged to a fencing match against a chosen
opponent from the king Hamlet agrees. Finally, Hamlet is in a state of peace and
readiness, accepting his fate. Hamlet has been through a lot in his lifetime. He
has been deceived, lied to, and lost the ones he h truly loved. The plays
Othello and Hamlet can be compared through their characterization of characters.
The final resolutions in both plays seemed to have the same bloody effects of
death. In Othello, Iagos' manipulative characteristic led him to death. Iago's
manip ative plot of deceit, betrayal, and turmoil led him to his downfall when
his plot was revealed. Iago's manipulative plot led to the death of many
characters in the play. Desdemona died because her husband did not believe that
she was being loyal to him ter Iago proclaimed that she was cheating on Othello.
Emilia, Iago's wife, died because she revealed Iago's plot. Roderigo died
because he was used and manipulated by Iago. And finally Othello died because he
was tricked, by Iago, into believing things thout any known proof. In Hamlet,
Hamlet's vengenance for his father's murderer led him to kill Laertes. Gertrude,
Hamlet's mother, dies after she accidentally drinks a poisoned glass. After
Hamlet sees Gertrude has died, he forces Claudius to drink the emaining poison.
Hamlet dies after he is told by the dieing Laertas that the sword was poisoned
and Hamlet has only thirty minutes to live. In both plays each characters
motives, actions and characteristic traits had equal and similair results,
death. In Shakespeare's plays he often creates a straight forward atmosphere in
which the reader can differentiate from good and evil. He shows this
characteristic through his characters in the way they act and their motives. For
example Hamlet's actions show that he is a loyal and faithful person. While
Claudius' actions show us that he is very cunning and sly, only looking to gain
power. A.C. Bradley was a literary critic who criticized and analyzed many works
of Shakespeare including Othello and Hamlet. his temperament the Elizabethans
would have called melancholic.... Next, we cannot be mistaken in attributing to
[him] an exquisite sensibility to which we may give the name 'moral.'... To the
very end, his soul, however sick and tortured it may be, ans rs instantaneously
when good and evil are presented to it, loving the one and hating the other....
" A.C. Bradley shows that Shakespeare often has very villainous characters
and hero type characters that allows the readers to differentiate from the vill
ns and the heroes. In conclusion, these two plays, Othello and Hamlet, written
by William Shakespeare have proven their comparisons and contrasting points very
well. Both plays have their similarities in their own way, but there are
differences that virtually make the boo truly unique.