A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE PLOTS OFWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S OTHELLO AND PAULO COELHO’S THE ZAHIR

Abstract

Novel and play are the results of the author’s creative process. This thesis will discuss about the play called Othello and a novel entitled The Zahir. There are interesting plots in the play and the novel which depict the woman, in particular as a wife (especially). Othello describes a man who leaves his wife because of the war with the Turk. He has a good wife who gives him support and advice, or becomes a good friend to share opinion with her husband. The play is very popular until now because the moral value still exists in real life. Esther is faithful. She is loyal. On the other hand, The Zahir has an interesting plot that it portrays a new thing. It conveys a woman as a wife who leaves her house to do her job as a war journalist. Jorge is a husband who works as a writer at home and his wife is a war journalist who works in dangerous places. The plot in the Zahir is simple but the story is interesting to discuss. A comparative study is suitable to find the similarities and the differences of the plots of the two stories. Studying the plot means to give more attention or concern with the main sequence of events in the play Othello and in the novel The Zahir. Therefore, structural approach is used to focus only on the intrinsic aspects, especially the plots. Furthermore, the method used in this thesis is inductive method. It means that the analysis starts from the specific concept moving to general conclusion. The data collection is used in this thesis by library research and some printed materials, such as, dictionaries, books, articles and cybernetic sites. The results of the research show that there are similarities and differences of the plots shown in both the play and the novel. Othello serves a complex plot in dramatic plot and The Zahir offers a simple plot that involves flashback plot.