Othello is a man of action. Hamlet is a man of inaction. If Hamlet were placed in Othello's world and vice versa, one would assume that both would work well under these circumstances. Othello is a man of action in a play that demands his hesitation and reflection. Hamlet is a philosopher in a situation that requires him to act. The resulting drama in both plays is that neither character reacts properly to their situation. The fact that both plays also end in tragedy may mean that neither course choice is ideal. Hamlet and Othello represent the extremes of thoughtful inaction and thoughtless violence, respectively. To their detriment, both characters adhere to the logic of their world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayDespite their protagonists' differences, Hamlet and Othello have much in common. Both plays deal with the betrayal of a loved one and the protagonists' responses to that betrayal. Betrayals are similar in that they involve female characters in the play and the issue of their supposed infidelities. Both pieces also refer to ears, hearing, and the possibility of deception in speech. Ultimately, both plays require their main characters to be something they are not. The texts push the characters to act and react in ways contrary to their natural habits. The challenge for Hamlet and Othello is to accept these demands by stepping outside of their constructs. The problem is that neither is able to transcend the logic of their world to avoid tragedy. Othello is not a character inclined to philosophize. He is also not the “barbarian” that Iago calls him. Othello presents its main character as a brave soldier, a loving husband, and a respected statesman. The only thing he isn't is a critical thinker. On the contrary, his lack of reflection is blatant. Iago convinces him too easily and Othello acts too quickly on doubts about Desdemona's fidelity. He has the skills to “love deeply” and fight courageously, but these tools ultimately don’t help him. The text seems to want to describe him as a thick-headed, all-muscled, brainless imbecile. Hamlet is presented as a courtier and a scholar. He is not a valiant warrior, but he lives in the shadow of his father, a famous war hero. When his father's Ghost comes to tell him to avenge his death, he puts on his military costume. Hamlet the philosopher must confront his inadequacy as a soldier in the same way that Othello the soldier reveals his inadequacy as a philosopher. Othello is full of action. He has a depth and intensity that sets him apart from the rest of the characters in the play. This depth is closely linked to his warrior history. His history in battle gives him insight into himself. His actions redeem him against the adversary. Othello has the confidence that comes with the knowledge of well-earned respect. When Iago tells him that Brabantio is speaking against him, Othello responds confidently: “Let him do his wickedness;/ My services, which I have rendered to the lordship,/ Will exceed his complaints. (1.2.17-19) Othello's calm signifies his security in his own nobility. He knows that his “services” validate him in the world of Venetian nobles. In the economy of honor in the play, Othello has put enough money into resisting attacks on his character. The only tools he has to “take out” Brabantio are not words, but a praised history of actions. These experiences form his story. Its ability to shape itsown narrative, to control the story of one's past is what Desdemona finds so attractive. Although, in his own words, Othello is "little blessed by the sweet phrase of peace", he redeems himself by telling his "unvarnished story". He controls his own narrative; his past speaks for him in a way that lucid pontificating cannot. Desdemona and Brabantio appreciate him for what he has done and what he can do."asked me about the story of my life/ From year to year? the battles, the sieges, the fortunes/ What I lived.” (1.3.130) Othello's person is the sum of these experiences. His life story is a tale of military achievements and exotic locations. His story is clear and “unvarnished” with complexities and complications. Not only does he demonstrate control over his life through the story; the story itself bears witness to his action. If Othello's personal narrative is clear and unblemished, Hamlet's is full of contradictions and inconsistencies. This is evident when Hamlet promises the Ghost that he will avenge his father's death. He declares that he will erase all the trivial documents, all the saws of the books, all the forms, all the past pressures, that youth and observation have been copied there, and your command alone will live in the book and the volume of my brain. (1.5.99-103) He so easily erases the years of preparation, training, and formal education that prepared him for a life in court society. Yet he can only address his conduct using the language of education and civil society. He replaces the “loving records” and “books” with a commandment that will exist in the “book” of his brain. Its language belies its purpose. If he were to truly replace his vengeance against the culture, he would not need to articulate it. Violence involves a rejection of speech; the act speaks for itself. His commitment to avenging his father's murder therefore poses a problem. Its promise of violence contains allegiance to culture and civility. In his eagerness to appease his father's ghost, he swears wholeheartedly the only way he knows how? referring to the “book” of his brain. The only way for him to express his true determination is to offer the power of his mind. The point of this promise is that it must be translated into action and not into thought. Hamlet's promise of revenge contains a contradiction in its content and in its practice. Not only does he rename the promised violence a “commandment” to be contained in a book, but he also refutes the promise as he makes it. He speaks to a ghost, a representation of the past. It is a past that is told until it is resolved. The Ghost's tale demands to be told and remembered, which is echoed in the Ghost's request to "Remember me." In the same breath in which Hamlet swears revenge, he erases “all forms, all past pressures.” Among these “past pressures” is the memory of his father. He tells the representation of his father's past that he will erase all traces of that past. His promise then makes no sense. This speech, expressing unqualified allegiance to the Ghost, is filled with conflicting ideas. Hamlet's idea of ​​his personal narrative could not be more confusing. The intellectual grooming of his past disgusts him so much that he rejects it and starts again. He replaces his narrative of books and records with a narrative of revenge. But the logic of his promise collapses on itself when examined closely. He thinks he must erase the past in order to commemorate it. Hamlet actually wants to memorialize the ghost in a meaningful way. The irony is that when he attempts to recount his decision, Hamlet's speech is thoughtful but lacks clarity of thought. Despite the pitfalls of thinking too much, Hamlet is confined by his thoughts, sothat Othello is not encumbered by the chains of thought. The text repeatedly uses the word “free” to describe it. Othello tells Iago after emphasizing his love for Desdemona and is about to face Brabantio's wrath: "I would not want my condition free without a home/Put into riding and locked up/For the sea is worth." ( 1.2.26). He affirms the value he places on his freedom and his determination not to allow himself to be “circumscribed and confined” by the opinions of others. And when Othello asks Desdemona to accompany him to war, he. only wants to "be free and generous towards him."(1.3.266) Their relationship is based on the foundation of free spirits.Othello loves his freedom and appreciates the freedom that Desdemona's love offers him. is a former slave, it makes sense that his sense of freedom is important to him He earned his freedom, further emphasizing his sense of independence Othello embodies the freedom to act that Hamlet lacks. Denmark is a prison”, so for Othello Venice is a place where he can assert his autonomy as a decorated soldier. He is not bound by the hesitation and push toward constant thinking that torments Hamlet throughout the play. Iago takes this aspect of Othello's character and uses it against him. “The Moor is of a free and open nature/ He thinks that men are honest but seem to be so,” (1.3.397-398) remarks Iago after the ordeal with the Senate. Iago understands that Othello's "free and open nature" makes him vulnerable to the suggestion of betrayals. Othello's freedom also encompasses freedom of thought. His mind is free and open in the sense that he has no fixed notions about the character of others. He simply thinks of those who are honest and who “seem to be.” Once these individuals no longer “seem” honest, Othello’s world collapses. Even in convincing Othello of Desdemona's infidelity, Iago emphasizes his allegiance to Othello's sense of autonomy. "I would not have thy free and noble nature / By generosity abused," says Iago (3.3.202-3) in an effort to allay Othello's fears. He creates a situation of dependence by emphasizing Othello's "free nature" in assessing these issues. Othello is too free and generous with his affections; he needs Iago to protect him from the abuse of others. Iago also alludes to Othello's "free nature" because he knows that Othello possesses the freedom to act once resolved. Othello's freedom of action prevents him from stopping to think; he gives too much importance to his free will to allow himself a moment of reflection. Othello's mistake is that he turns to Iago for reflection. A man of action, he has little confidence in his deductive abilities and is therefore sensitive to the stubborn doubts that Iago plants in him. The scene where Iago begins to convince Othello of Desdemona's disloyalty is a volley of "thoughts." Oth: What do you think? Iago: Think, my lord? Oth: Think, my lord! By heaven you echo me As if there was in your thoughts a monster too hideous to be shown? If you love me, show me your thoughts. Iago: God, you know I love you. Oth: I think you like it. (3.3.106-20) Othello begs Iago to share his thoughts. He turns to Iago to process the information for him. He has so little confidence in his own ability to think and so calls on his best friend to do so. If Othello has no confidence in his own thoughts, is he justified in this? this passage demonstrates his erroneous thinking. Iago clearly doesn't like him, yet Othello "thinks" he does. If Iago needed further proof that Othello is easily fooled, he receives it in this scene. By asking Iago to “show” his thoughts, Othello admits to lacking mental acuity. AllOthello's "thought" is useless because it is obviously wrong. The text constructs Othello as an actor and not as a thinker. The moment he hints at his thought process is the moment Othello reveals his true weakness. Hamlet's initial use of violence, like Othello's display of thought, contributes to worsening his situation. The scene where he kills Polonius is the only moment where he gives in to his violent impulse and acts impetuously. This act of uninhibited violence is also that of absolute clumsiness. The image of Hamlet piercing the arras, ignoring his target, trying to convince himself that it is indeed Claudius when there is no possibility that it is Claudius since he has just left him there. another piece, is so emblematic of his company. When Hamlet resorts to violence, he stabs into the darkness, killing without grace and failing to accomplish his goal. Killing Polonius also works against him in that he commits the injustice to Laertes that Hamlet himself attempts to avenge. He perpetuates the cycle of violence and undeserved death against which he protests at every opportunity. Hamlet's first moment of action matches him to Claudius; he becomes what he hates. Hamlet wants to prove his courage as a warrior for justice, but he cannot break away from "the glass of fashion and the mold of form" so easily. When he tries to act against his natural inclinations, he accomplishes nothing. Even when both characters do what they're used to, it doesn't help their situation. Hamlet's philosophy is his way of decoding and revealing the political truths of the court. In Hamlet's circuitous approaches to the act of revenge, we find the constant presence of an unsuccessful effort to address Claudius's sins by talking about them. His pontificate never leads to a resolution; rather it serves to paralyze action. He can never openly acknowledge the evil he knows Claudius has committed. Hamlet is verbally castrated; he is free to soliloquize, but only in a limited capacity. He can never address the issue through speech, but for most of the game it's his choice of defense. Philosophizing becomes a comfortable position for Hamlet. This validates his inability to act. The only scene where Othello shows his ability to maintain his determination and achieve his goal is when he should act against his nature. When he kills Desdemona, he maintains a stoic determination to kill her, no matter how much she professes her innocence. At first he seems reluctant to kill her, the only thing working in Desdemona's favor are Othello's residual feelings of love for her. Yet these emotional attachments cannot influence her decision that "she must die, or she will betray more men." He has already decided his guilt, and all he knows is his commitment to his own decision. This is the moment where the text begs Othello to listen, to stop and think. Desdemona herself asks him to “have pity” on her. She asks him to be the arbiter of something of which he is not capable; she wants him to be something greater than himself. Othello's confrontation with his tragic loss is simple. As Emilia enters the room, Othello reasons, "If she comes in, she will certainly speak to my wife. My wife, my wife! What woman? I have no wife." In this statement, Othello's simplistic thought process is displayed. At the same moment of awareness is the simultaneous acceptance of a new reality. The despair of the second “my wife” is matched only by the calm resignation of the truth “I don’t have a wife.” He is a man accustomed to war and violence; the death of his wife provokes a second cry and ultimately results in the resolution of his despair..