Conflict and painful emotion are required to categorize a work as a Drama. Oedipus Rex, Medea, Othello, and The Merchant of Venice, all emulate conflict and painful emotion. While all are categorized as drama, each has its own preoccupation and sensibility of time which it was produced.
Oedipus Rex’s conflict centers around the murder of Laius and the search for his murderer. After Laius’s murder Oedipus took his place and began the hunt for the killer. A boy leads Oedipus to the blind prophet Tiresias who when asked by Oedipus who is the killer, responds “I say that you are Laius’ murderer…” (Sophocles 13). Oedipus insults the prophet and sends him away. As the story progresses Oedipus finds out where the murder took place, where three roads meet, and this reminds Oedipus that he killed someone where three roads meet. Oedipus continues his search for the murderer only to find more links to himself. He eventually confirms the oracles predictions of him murdering his own father and marrying his mother, the predictions which made him move in order to try to avoid. It is here where painful emotion is found, Jocasta commits suicide and Oedipus pokes his eyes (blinding himself) and exiles himself.
Oedipus Rex is preoccupied with irony. The reader is often tuned into information which the character is clueless to. Oedipus thought that he was from Corinth and his father was Polybus when he was actually from Thebes and his father was Laius. He left Corinth and thought that he could escape a the fate which an oracle predicted, en route to Corinth he murders a man, who turns out to be his biological father, and eventually falls in love with a woman who turns out to be his mother. The reader new all this and the reader also new that there is no escape from fate.
The conflict in Medea is Jason, Medea’s husband, has broken his marriage vow and left his wife for the daughter of the king. This outrages Medea and she says “Ah, Wretch! Ah, lost in my sufferings, I wish, I wish I might die!” (Euripedes 4). She then decides to get revenge on her husband and the children they have together. “Ah, I have suffered what should be wept for bitterly. I hate you, Children of a hateful mother. I curse you and your father. Let the whole house crash.” (Euripedes 5).
Most of the emotional pain is suffered by Medea. She is angry that Jason left her with out discussing it with her; instead, married behind Medea’s back. Jason deserted the woman who killed her own father to be with him, for social status and wealth. She takes all of this into account when planning her revenge. She settles on killing her children, Jason’s new wife, and the king. Her love for her children gives her second thoughts on killing them but decides to go ahead with it in order to cause as much pain as possible to Jason. In the end Jason is left alone with emotional pain as Medea rides in a chariot to the sun.
Medea is preoccupied with emotion and I guess you can say self satisfaction. We see a sad enraged Medea, then a vindictive enraged Medea, and at the end a more emotionally stable Medea after she kills her kids, the king and his daughter. Jason is careless in the beginning, he can careless about his wife and kids, he is preoccupied with his own wealth and social status.
The conflict in The Merchant of Venice is Antonio’s inability to repay Shylock for a loan which he took out for his friend Bassanio. Since Antonio did not want to be charged interest by Shylock they came to agree that if Antonio was unable to pay that shylock would get “an equal pound of your fair flesh, to be cut off and taken in what part of your body pleaseth me” (Shakespeare 15). With the thought that the boats would return with riches Antonio agrees to the terms of the loan. The boats do not arrive and this is where the conflict begins. In fear for his life Antonio asks Bassanio for money from his new wife Portia to repay the loan and save his life, Bassanio offers Shylock ten times the original amount but Shylock would rather have Antonio’s flesh showing that he hates Antonio more than he loves business and money. In court Portia disguises herself as a court clerk and finds a hole in the contract and saves Antonio’s life, turning the tables on Shylock, leaving him a Christian with half his wealth and the other half left to his daughter.
The Merchant of Venice is preoccupied with religion, more specifically religious groups. Shylock, a Jew, is only concerned with business relationships and ignores the feelings of his daughter and others around him, the Christians seem to cherish friendship and look out for each others well being. In the end it seems as if all the Jews in the play are Christian, give you a sense that a feeling at the time is that Christianity is superior to all other religions.
The conflict in Othello Iago’s attempt to hurt Othello who passed Iago up for a promotion and gave it to Michael Cassio, also Othello is rumoured to of had slept with Emilia (Iago’s wife) “and it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheet’ (Shakespeare 27). Iago’s plan is to make Cassio look bad in front of Othello, and make Othello believe that Cassio is sleeping with Desdemona. He manipulates both Cassio and Desdemona to play along with his plan, and continuously plants thoughts in Othello’s mind, and let’s Othello’s imagination go to work and do the rest. Iago does this until Othello asks for ocular proof. Iago then gets a handkerchief given to Desdemona by Othello, and plants it in Cassio’s room. This is the what sets Othello off, and cause him to strangle Desdemona to death.
Iago had painful emotions when he was passed up for the promotion. It was what fueled him to manipulate and hurt everyone around him. Othello also had painful emotions, he was duped into feeling this way by Iago. He had to deal with the thought that his love Desdemona was unfaithful until he could not control his emotions any more and kills Desdemona.
The preoccupations in Othello are greed and pride. Iago is greedy in the sense that the promotion which he was passed up for would have given him a pay raise, and also he was using Roderigo for his money. Iago’s pride was hurt when he didn’t get the promotion. Othello’s pride is what compelled him to kill his wife. A man of his stature could not allow his wife to be unfaithful without taking action.

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