Pride and the tragic hero in Oedipus Rex and Othello Pride is one of the seven deadly sins. Most proud people will never consider themselves truly proud until they come face to face with the consequences of their pride. Both Sophocles and Shakespeare address this dilemma in their plays Oedipus Rex and Othello. Through their nobility, their tragic flaws, the downfall that these flaws cause, and the suffering and wisdom that result from these downfalls, Oedipus and Othello reveal the true character of the tragic hero and show the devastating consequences of pride. Both Oedipus and Othello are distinguished by nobility: Oedipus by birth and actions and Othello by an illustrious career. Oedipus is the son of King Laius and his wife Jocasta, king and queen of Thebes. Due to an oracle prophesying that King Laius will be murdered by his son, Oedipus is left to die "on the mountains where Cithaeron is" (1472). He is then saved by a shepherd and raised by "Polybore... king of Corinth/and Merope, the Dorian" (834-35). Not only is Oedipus noble in his birth and upbringing, but he is also noble in his actions. Having arrived in Thebes as a young man, Oedipus answers the riddle of the Sphinx, which is terrorizing the citizens, and frees the city from this monster. In turn he is named king of Thebes and unknowingly marries his mother, the queen. Othello, on the other hand, is noble only by deeds. He is a Moor and a barbarian according to Venetian customs. He is an outsider, yet he is accepted by the Venetian people for his illustrious career as a general of the Venetian army. In defense of his lack of noble heritage, Othello states, “I take my life and my being / From the men of the royal siege” (1.2.20-21). It is his rank that makes him noble. His contemporary...... middle of paper...... Inc., 1966.Ehrenberg, Victor. ?Sophocles Rulers: Oedipus.? In Twentieth-Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex, edited by Michael J. O'Brien. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.Murray, Robert D. Jr. ?Sophocles? Moral themes.? In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.Neely, Carol. "Women and men in Othello" Critical essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (pages 68-90) Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Othello, Moor of Venice. Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry and drama. Ed. XJ Kennedy. 5th ed. New York: Harper, 1991. 1046-1133.Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald. Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry and drama. Ed. XJ Kennedy. 5th ed. New York: Harper, 1991. 999-1039.