Count of Monte Cristo and Othello

William Shakespeare’s Othello is considered to be one of the four tragedies, amongst Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth. Due to the extraordinarily villainous Iago, Othello is considered to be the most tragic, due to the hopelessness of Othello, and the survival of Iago. Shakespeare wrote this play to illustrate the effects of jealousy on an innocent mind, and to reflect the undermining nature of social prejudice.
Both protagonists led lives typical of their social caste. Edmond Dantes was a poor sailor – naïve, hard-working and trusting of his superiors. Religious and loving, he quickly gained the respect of those around him. Only marked by the tempests on the sea, and the grounded love he found on land, Dantes’ life was simple. Too far removed from the social elite, Dantes kept to his social stratosphere and the road prepared for him. He was expected to live a rather uneventful life, his only concerns his family and occupation. Othello the “Moor” was very similar. A foreigner to Venetian society, the African had a different set of values. Honest, trustworthy and simple-minded, Othello commanded his post as General - the obvious fit as, like Dantes, his peers and superiors respected him. Recently eloped, Othello had begun a family, continuing his productive life. Family and work were all that were in store for the Moor. That is, until he promoted a dear friend, Cassio, to a position commonly seen as undeserved; the shift for Dantes came as his ship, the Pharaon, anchored in Marseilles, captainless but maintained.
As soon as Dantes step foot on the island of Elba, his fate was forever changed. Little did know that the life he once had would soon be completely flipped upside down. Upon his return, Dantes expected to wed his beloved Mercedes, but was pleasantly surprised by the promise of a potential promotion to become the captain of the Pharaon. Dantes trusted his employer, a weak spot for the young sailor. As this sliver of hope put stars in his eyes, the fabric...