Othello by Shakespeare vs Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu - Essay Example

However the story takes a turn when Othello is deployed to Cyprus, and during the course of his stay there, he is made to believe by Iago, that his wife is indeed an adulteress. This leads him to kill Desdemona, his wife, as well as himself towards the end. (Shakespeare, William)

On the other hand, the Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu is a masterpiece and a great contribution to both Japanese as well as world literature. It has been recalled as one of the first novels ever written in the world, in fiction. It presents a very realistic view of life through the actions and characteristics of a young man by the name of Genji. It has been set during the time of aristocracy in Japan as Genji was the son of an Emperor. It is a play centered around the romantic life that he led with the love of his life, and the complications of societal pressure that are sought upon people with time and human bondage. (Murasaki, Shikibu)

The two characters of Othello and Genji have quite a number of similarities and differences. They can be compared and contrasted against and with each other on the basis of a number of traits that they possess. Both plays have a background of the main protagonist acting out of the passion of love. Othello was madly in love with Desdemona, and Genji, with Lady Fujitsubo and later Murasaki. However, Othello has been constant in his love for his woman; despite him being posted far away from her, he tried to keep the flame alive within himself, in hopes of soon being able to meet with his Ladylove. However, Iago changed his mind with time regarding her character and personality and made him believe that she was indeed a woman that engaged in adultery with other men, and that she could not really love someone.

Genji, however, understood love as he matured from a boy to a man. He was first in love with the Lady and this love was forbidden. It made him want it even more and soon she bears his son. In the meantime, he falls in love with a number of different women as he pleases, and seduces a number of them, leading them on and making them believe that they have a shot at being his wife. As compared to Othello, thus, Genji does not come off as a character that would die for the love of his life during this point in his life. He was a young man who was hell-bent on enjoying the frivolous pursuits of life; he proves through Murasaki’s writings that the young royals at the time in Japan had no qualms about whether or not their decisions were affecting other people or the rest of the country, they only wanted to do whatever pleased them, and in this case, it involved randomly involving oneself with different women.

Towards the end of both the plays, however, both characters witness the emotion and feeling of what death is and how it dawns upon a person when it happens to a loved one. Genji realizes that his true love was only for Murasaki, and when she dies, his memories of her begin to haunt him. He then is able to comprehend how fleeting his entire life was and how easily time just passed him by. He understands that he did not give her enough time even though she was his wife and that he should have told her that he loved her while he still had the chance. Othello too was forced by his own emotions to undergo the pain and trauma of the death of a loved one. (Penguin Reading Guides)

He was overpowered by the force of his own emotions and feelings to kill Desdemona because he was made to believe that she was having an affair with one of the soldiers in his army. The jealousy that erupts within the man threatens to ruin his life and also subsequently ruins the image of the purity of his wife that he contains within his mind. The distance between the two and the will to live without each other for such a long time ceases to grow within him and he is not able to take it anymore. The allegations posted against his wife play in his mind over and over again as he finally meets her and kills her. Soon, however, he realizes that she was actually faithful and had been so all along, at which point he commits suicide by killing himself. (Othello)

Both the plays have been regarded as tragedies. However, to call Othello a tragic hero, or to give Genji that status would probably not be as befitting because both the men only realized the value of the women in their lives after they had lost them at the hands of death. Even though the women played different roles in their lives, they were faithful towards their men; however, the stories differ in how they were so, and how their husbands treated them. Read More