The Greater Fall: Why Othello's Tragedy Cuts Deeper Than Okonkwo's

I've read Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Shakespeare's Othello for many hours, but
something still bothers me. I'm struck by how Othello's tragedy ultimately pierces
deeper than Okonkwo's, even though both protagonists meet tragic ends brought on by
their flaws. It's not just about what these men lose; it's also about how high they
fall, how cruelly Othello is manipulated psychologically, how betrayed he is
intimately, and how painfully self-aware he becomes as a result of his fall. Both
characters certainly start from positions of tremendous respect. Okonkwo rises to
prominence in Umuofia through fierce determination, becoming "one of the greatest
men of his time" (Achebe 8). His achievements are impressive, especially given his
father's shameful legacy. But Othello's ascent is even more remarkable. As a Moor
in Venetian society, he overcomes profound racial barriers to become, as Bloom
notes, "not merely a professional soldier but a distinguished general upon whom the
Venetian state relies completely" (Bloom 457). Othello's beginning position—and
consequently his eventual downfall—is all the more remarkable given that he attains
such status in spite of Venice's ingrained prejudices. In her examination of
Othello's position, Neely notes that "His integration into Venetian society
represents a transcendence of social boundaries almost unprecedented in Renaissance
literature" (Neely 118).
Let's discuss the factors that lead to their failures. The main causes of Okonkwo's
tragedy are his rigid adherence to traditional masculinity and his anxiety about
looking like his "failed" father. He kills Ikemefuna because "he was afraid of
being thought weak" (Achebe 61). His actions, while destructive, follow a certain
internal logic based on cultural values he's internalized. But Othello? His tragedy
has a uniquely painful dimension—the deliberate psychological destruction
orchestrated by someone he trusts completely. As Iago systematically dismantles
Othello's psyche, we witness what Greenblatt calls "the most psychologically
devastating portrait of induced jealousy in Western literature" (Greenblatt 247).
Okonkwo faces external cultural pressures, but Othello endures something more
insidious: the careful, calculated destruction of his mind by a trusted friend who
admits, "I hate the Moor" (Shakespeare 1.3.378). The psychological torture Othello
experiences represents a uniquely intimate form of betrayal that Okonkwo never
faces. I've always found the transformation of character particularly revealing
when comparing these tragedies. Okonkwo remains essentially the same person
throughout the narrative—stubborn, proud, and unable to adapt. His tragedy stems
partly from this consistency—he cannot bend, so he breaks. Othello, however,
undergoes a devastating metamorphosis. He begins as Shakespeare's most eloquent and
dignified character, described by others as "noble Othello" (2.3.170) with "a free
and open nature" (1.3.405). By the end, this same man has become almost
unrecognizable, speaking in fragmented sentences, suffering epileptic fits, and
committing horrific violence. As Kermode observes, "No other Shakespearean
character undergoes such a complete and destructive transformation" (Kermode 83).
This disintegration of character—from the height of eloquence and control to utter
psychological ruin—gives Othello's tragedy a particularly devastating arc that
Okonkwo's story lacks. The nature of their isolation differs significantly too.
Yeah, Okonkwo experiences profound isolation, especially during his exile and after
returning to a changed Umuofia. But his isolation develops gradually through
cultural shifts and his own choices. Othello's isolation, on the other hand,
happens with shocking speed and completeness. In just days, he goes from being a
celebrated general newly married to the woman he adores to a man who has murdered
his innocent wife and stands utterly alone. According to Cavell, "Othello's
isolation is total—all within the space of days rather than years, he loses his
professional standing, his marriage, his peace of mind, and ultimately his very
sense of self" (Cavell 132). Compared to Okonkwo's more gradual alienation,
Othello's isolation is more psychologically acute due to this condensed timeline.
What about their epiphanies now? The tragedy of Othello reaches its most
devastating depth at this point. Because he is unable to understand or adjust to
the cultural shifts around him, Okonkwo passes away before ever fully comprehending
the nature of his tragedy. Instead of understanding, his suicide is a sign of
defiance. However, Othello? There is the most agonizing clarity in his last
moments. He gains total, devastating self-awareness after killing Desdemona and
realizing Iago's deceit. With a complete understanding of his actions and his
current state, he states, "Then must you speak of one that loved not wisely but too
well" (Shakespeare 5.2.353-354). "Othello's tragedy is heightened immeasurably by
his final realization that he has destroyed the thing he loved most, and for no
reason," says Gardner.This moment of anagnorisis generates the play's most profound
tragic effect" (Gardner 209). This excruciating self-knowledge at the moment of
death gives Othello's tragedy a psychological depth that Okonkwo's lacks. The
intimate nature of Othello's tragic actions also intensifies his story. Okonkwo's
most terrible act—participating in Ikemefuna's death—occurs within a cultural
framework that, while painful, provides some context for his actions. Othello,
however, commits an act that violates every principle he has lived by—he murders
Desdemona, the person he loves most in the world, in their marital bed. As
Honigmann notes, "There is something uniquely horrifying about Othello's murder of
Desdemona precisely because it represents the corruption of love into its opposite"
(Honigmann 71). The intimacy of this violence—the transformation of the marriage
bed into a murder scene—creates a tragic dimension that exceeds anything in
Okonkwo's story. Don't get me wrong—Okonkwo's story is profoundly tragic,
especially in how it represents cultural collision and the erasure of traditional
ways of life. But tragedy at its core is about individual suffering and the painful
recognition of one's own role in that suffering. On this count, Othello's tragedy
cuts deeper. His suffering is more psychologically acute, more intimately painful,
and—most devastating of all—accompanied by the full, terrible awareness of what he
has done and what he has lost. As Bradley famously concluded, "Othello's suffering
is so heart-rending because it is accompanied by the most painful kind of self-
knowledge—the recognition that he has destroyed his own happiness through a flaw he
perceives too late" (Bradley).
Both Okonkwo and Othello ultimately emerge as strong, tragic characters whose tales
never cease to touch us. I cannot help but conclude, however, that Othello's
tragedy ultimately runs deeper than Okonkwo's when I consider the height of his
initial position, the intentional psychological destruction he endures, the speed
and completeness of his transformation, the intimate nature of his tragic actions,
and—most importantly—the agonizing clarity with which he understands his own
downfall. The most comprehensive kind of tragic suffering is exemplified by
Othello's last moments, when he realizes the full extent of what he has lost as a
result of his own actions. This includes not only the loss of everything that one
values, but also the intolerable realization that one has destroyed it oneself.
Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Anchor Books, 1994.
Bloom, Harold. "Othello." Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. Riverhead Books,
1998, pp. 445-483.
Bradley, A.C. "Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear,
Macbeth." Project Gutenberg, 2005, www.gutenberg.org/files/16966/16966-h/16966-
h.htm.
Cavell, Stanley. "Othello and the Stake of the Other." Disowning Knowledge in Seven
Plays of Shakespeare. Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp. 125-142.
Gardner, Helen. "The Noble Moor." British Academy Shakespeare Lectures, vol. 41,
1955, pp. 193-215.
Greenblatt, Stephen. "The Improvisation of Power." Renaissance Self-Fashioning:
From More to Shakespeare. University of Chicago Press, 2005, pp. 232-254.
Honigmann, E.A.J. "Introduction." Othello. The Arden Shakespeare, Third Series,
2016, pp. 1-111.
Kermode, Frank. "Othello: The Moor of Venice." Shakespeare's Language. Penguin
Books, 2000, pp. 75-92.
Neely, Carol Thomas. "Women and Men in Othello." Shakespeare's Middle Tragedies.
Prentice Hall, 1993, pp. 115-134.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Folger Digital Texts, Folger Shakespeare Library,
www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/html/Oth.html.