Othello and King Shahrayar, from The Arabian Nights, are very similar in their brash decisions. The King was cheated on by his wife and as a result he killed his wife and many wives after that. Othello believed that his wife cheated on him and as a result he kills his wife as shown by Othello when he says “Yet she must die, else she’ll betray more men” (5.2.6). Both of these men were driven to violence by the thought of their unfaithful wives. They both decided that murdering their wives was the best course of action after being cheated on. While they are similar in this sense, the King had actually caught his wife in the act of cheating. Othello merely suspected his wife with no solid proof. The King was not as gullible as Othello, who fell for Iago’s tricks and lies. Othello was slowly convinced that his innocent wife was guilty of sleeping with Cassio. The King was immediately shown that his guilty wife wasn’t innocent. While the King and Othello are similar in their reactions and felt the same betrayals, Othello acts brashly for the little amount of proof that he was shown. Othello only had a handkerchief and vague murmurs from Cassio to make his judgment. Othello’s character is very emotional and he acts without considering that he could be wrong. His logic was clouded by his emotions of love for Desdemona and the hate caused by suspicions of betrayal. King Shahrayar’s logic also became clouded by emotions after his wife cheated on him. His rage led him to kill his wife and decree that no woman would ever be faithful. The King then proceeded to marry and kill many women under his rule to avoid being betrayed. Both these characters lose their ability to reason after facing betrayal, however only Othello has acted based on lies.
