With the theme of how seeking revenge ultimately leads to destruction, the play Othello has remained a timeless piece of literature. Connecting to One Tree Hill, a modern television show and the The Hunger Games novels, which continue to rise in popularity, Othello portrays the feelings of revenge through its’ characters. This common theme is shared by all three works and allows Othello to continue to be a universal story. In the play, Iago discloses to Othello that Othello’s wife Desdemona may be cheating on him with Cassio. This prompts Othello into a fit of rage and he is immediately consumed with desires of revenge on Cassio and Desdemona. “Damn her, lew minx! Oh, damn her! Come, go with me apart. I will withdraw, to furnish me with some swift means of death for the fair devil, Now art thou my Lieutenant” (III.iii.477-480).
Iago telling Othello about Desdemona and Cassio's "affair".
Consumed with malice, Othello kills Desdemona but soon regrets this decision on learning that he had killed an innocent and faithful woman. “Then must you speak of one that loved not wisely, but too well. Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought, perplexed in the extreme. Of one whose hand, like the base Indian threw a pearl away richer than all his tribe” (V.ii.360-364). By killing himself, Othello proved that his plot of revenge completely backfired and left him with nothing.
Othello taking his anger out on Desdemona, thinking she loved Cassio
Similar to the character Othello, Dan Scott seeks revenge because of a woman. On the television show One Tree Hill, Dan Scott has an immense hatred of his brother Keith Scott because Keith is married to Karen who Dan was once in love with and bore a child with. Because Dan still loved Karen and could never come to terms with Karen and Keith’s relationship, Dan shot and killed Keith. “My brother Keith was always better than me. He had a better heart. People liked him more. They loved him. Karen loved him, but Karen was mine. She was supposed to be mine” (The Runaway Found).
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Although Dan didn’t go as far as Othello in committing suicide, he was forced to go to prison and live a life of remorse and regret for his actions. Losing the love and respect of his family was another price Dan had to pay which was the most detrimental blow to him. When Dan’s son Nathan found out about Dan’s act of revenge he responded, “What happened to you Dad? The day Keith died, you died, you understand me? My son will never know you. You stay away from my family and you stay away from me” (The Birth and Death of the Day). Because his family members were the only people he truly cared about in his life, losing them destroyed Dan and made him view his life as insubstantial.
Along with Othello and One Tree Hill, the Hunger Games trilogy vividly explores the consequences of revenge. Because the districts of the country created an uprising and fought against the government, the government which is known as the Capitol created the Hunger Games to punish the citizens. In the Hunger Games, kids are taken from each district and put in an arena to fight to the death where only one survives. “Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch- this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion” (The Hunger Games, 18).
After winning the 74th annual Hunger Games, protagonist Katniss Everdeen leads all the districts in a rebellion against the Capitol which develops into a combative war. “People want to fight. Don’t you see? It’s happening! It’s finally happening! If there’s an uprising in District Eight, why not here? Why not everywhere? This could be it” (Catching Fire, 100). In a bloodbath, the Capitol is taken over and President Snow loses all his power. Although they tried to prevent an uprising by installing the Hunger Games, the Capitol only fueled the citizens’ spirits and ultimately lost all their power and influence on the people.
The preview for the movie the Hunger Games which comes out March 23, 2012.
Not only does the theme of revenge causing demise run prevalent in entertainment and fictional novels, the theme can be applied to everyday life as well. Most people gather feelings of revenge towards someone at some point in their life. During those times, they can choose to act on those feelings or forgive the person and wash the feelings away. Although Othello, One Tree Hill, and The Hunger Games are fictional works, their characters are relatable and people can still learn from the choices they made.
Works Cited
Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic, 2009. Print.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.
Perrine, Laurence. “Othello”. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Fort Worth. Harcourt College. 2002. 1361-462. Print.
Schwahn, Mark. "The Birth and Death of the Day." One Tree Hill. The CW. Wilmington, North Carolina, 6 June 2007. Television.
Schwahn, Mark. "The Runaway Found." One Tree Hill. The CW. Wilmington, North Carolina, 16 May 2007. Television.
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