Fredrick Nietzsche, a famous German philosopher, believed that one of the strongest governing impulses that human beings possess is their desire for power. This theme is omnipresent in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, Shakespeare's Othello, and Sophocles' Antigone. In the novel The Invisible Man, the narrator frees himself from stereotypes and other oppressions imposed by his society. In Othello, Iago escapes his natural role as Othello's standard bearer to take revenge. In Antigone, Antigone separates herself from mortal law to follow divine law. All three of these works illustrate Nietzsche's idea of ​​the will to power, and each breaks free from their separate constraints to find control. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The narrator of Invisible Man, a Southern black male living during the Jim Crow era, struggles with the constraints, stereotypical views, and oppressions established by his society. However, as he learns, he is able to distance himself from his oppressive society and remain in isolation until he comes to understand who he is and the direction in which he should proceed when he reemerges into the world (Ellison 7). From the beginning, the narrator realizes that he is oppressed by the white members of society. One of his supervisors urges him to leave his job at Liberty Paint to find "something easier, quieter" and "something for which [he is] better prepared" (Ellison 246). However, the persecution does not end there; the narrator discovers that blacks relentlessly sell themselves to the white race in exchange for the kind of monetary support that only puts them in the position of being discriminated against once again. As a result, the narrator discovers that he is "invisible" to this world and does not belong in this tumultuous society (Ellison 3). In his invisibility, the narrator is able to find comfort and writes this memoir of his life in an attempt to free himself from the constraints of oppression and discover his true self. The narrator professes, “I am an invisible man and it put me in a hole – or showed me the hole I was in, if you will – and I reluctantly accepted the fact” (Ellison 572). This “hole” is where he finds solitude; it provides him with a quiet place where he can remember his life and determine his plans for the future. Separating himself from his overbearing society, he is finally able to "see the darkness of the brightness" and confesses that he "loves the light" (Ellison 6). It is only in this freedom that the narrator can find himself and, by extension, his place in the universe. After much soul-searching, the narrator is once again able to reemerge into the world and find his role in an indifferent society. He states, “After trying to pattern the chaos that lives within the pattern of your certainties, I must step out, I must emerge” (Ellison 580). When he emerges, he is in control of his newfound self and has freed himself from his obligation to please others and feed misleading stereotypes. After his return to society, he is able to maintain complete control over at least one aspect of his life: himself. Shakespeare's character, Iago, breaks free from his natural order in society because he feels slighted by Othello, who has appointed Cassio as Iago's lieutenant, even though Iago is both older and superior to Cassio. Iago becomes jealous of Cassio and plots revenge against both Othello and Cassio in an attempt to gain control and manipulate them into misery. Iago's bitterness towards his oppressors is evident when he refers to Cassio as "a great arithmetician" and an "almost damned companion in a fair wife" (Shakespeare I, i,16-18). These insults allude to the fact that Iago iswounded and feels the need to get rid of both Cassio and Othello to gain his rightful position as lieutenant. Throughout the play, Iago successfully manipulates Othello, Cassio, and Roderigo and is able to trigger Othello's jealousy, ultimately creating his tragic downfall. Iago is a master deceiver and sets his plan in motion to create the illusion of Desdemona's infidelity with Cassio. Iago informs Roderigo that Cassio is "a very talkative knave; no more despicable than in putting on the mere form of civilized and human appearance for the better compass of his salt and his most hidden loose affection" (Shakespeare II, i, 237- 240). Here, Iago reveals his plan to make Othello believe that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair, and begins to gain power over the other characters through his manipulations. However, ironically, Iago warns Othello to "beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, that mocketh the flesh on which it feeds" (Shakespeare III, iii, 165-167). Iago warns Othello not to allow jealousy to cloud his thoughts, as he just then bases his plan on jealous revenge. Despite Iago's blind jealousy, he manages to convince Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him and that he must die. Othello eventually kills his wife, discovers the truth, stabs Iago, and then stabs himself. Ultimately, Iago is revealed as the one in power, as he has manipulated every other character to produce this tragic outcome. Sophocles writes about Antigone, who breaks the decree given by a mortal to fulfill an obligation to her family's divine rights and obey the law of the gods. After Creon forbids the proper burial of Antigone's brother Polyneices, Antigone decides to take fate into her own hands and allow her brother to pass naturally into the afterlife. At first, she attempts to secure the help of her sister, Ismene, but when Ismene proves reluctant, Antigone informs her, "He is still my brother and yours; though you would have him otherwise, I will not abandon him" (Sophocles 345) . Antigone continues to assert her position on the matter when she warns her sister, "Do not be afraid for me. Be anxious for yourself" (Sophocles 346). However noble her initial intention, Antigone continues to defy mortal law and is sentenced to death by burial. As she is paraded to her grave, she asks, "By what law do I claim so much? Just this: one husband dead, another may be found, one son replaced, but one brother once lost (mother and father dead and buried ) moreover) no other brother can be born or grow up again" (Sophocles 372). Antigone continues to defy human law in favor of divine law by professing that if she is wrong in her thoughts and actions, "and if these things be appreciated by heaven, why, when I am dead I will know that I have sinned. But if I find that the sin was theirs, may justice then reserve for them no less than what injustice now reserves for me: my condemnation" (Sophocles 372-373). In the end, Antigone is right not only by the citizens of Thebes, but by the gods themselves. As Antigone is about to be freed from her tomb, she hangs herself, causing Creon's son, Haemon, to commit suicide, and, in turn, Creon's wife, Eurydice, also kills herself. Through divine intervention, Creon is shown the error of his ways, but it is too late to grant Antigone the power she died for. Antigone freed herself from Creon's mortal law to follow divine law, thus gaining power over Creon and weakening his ability to rule and his greatness in life. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Frederick Nietzsche's Theory of Attainment and Destruction.