...OTHELLO Othello is a tragedy, which is written by the great philosophe William Shakespeare. The act is meant to take place about the year 1603, and based on the Italian novel “Un Capitano Moro” by Cinthio. Now has the modern opera taken it up again and I must say, it is remarkable. Entering the beautiful building “Det Kongelige Teater” and watching the show was a moving experience which is created by a simplicity and convincing control of resources in the combination of a high musical level, that I haven’t ever seen in my life before. From where I was sitting, the shouts of ‘’bravo!’’ and the applause lasted long and consistently in response to their brilliant performance. Normally I’m not the type of guy who goes to the opera, but “Othello” made me consider why I haven’t gone before. The setup was great and the art was marvelous with the spectacular music that goes deeply and directly to the heart and soul. “Othello” the play is diabolically evil, painfully beautiful and redeeming, it is a real opera in an incredibly scenic frame. Otello is the lead character in the play, and his skills did certainly live up to my expectations, and more. The warrior and the jealous husband, who accuse his lovely wife Desdemona for being unfaithful, played safe and sung with a commendable clarity throughout the act. My favorite though, was the wicked Jago. I noticed that the tone of his voice had many, controlled levels, which was a display of true skill and art. His voice, changing...
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...Othello is one of the four tragedies written by Shakespeare. Othello is a highly esteemed general in the service of Venice. He falls in love with Desdemona, but they are not allowed to marry due to Othello’s dark skin. So they marry privately. Iago, Othello’s trusted ensign, is deadly jealous of Othello’s promotion to the position of personal lieutenant. He begins an evil and malicious campaign against Othello. Iago sows discord between Othello and Desdemona. He lies to Othello that Desdemona has a lover, which makes Othello kill Desdemona in cases of disordered anger and envy. Othello is filled with regret and remorse when he hears the truth. He commits suicide beside Desdemona. Shakespeare opens the pay with multiple types of conflict. Roderigo, a rich gentleman, also falls in love with Desdemona. So he dissatisfies the secret marriage between Othello and Desdemona. As the same time, Iago feels passed over for Michael Cassio because Othello promotes him. In addition, Iago also believes that Othello is the lover of his wife. Shakespeare uses these relationships to structure the story. And Iago’s emotive feelings are dictating the direction of the plot. Driven by emotion, Iago makes plans. Obviously without his plans, the plot would never have developed. The love between Othello and Desdemona is pure, enviable, and over racism. However, Othello doesn’t feel confident in his black skin. The self-abasement makes Othello credulous, sensitive, jealous, and loses his head. Thereby...
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...26/12/13 Othello, Review The National Theatre The Guardian The infamous ‘green-eyed monster’ is back with a vengeance in Hytner’s portrayal of Shakespeare’s Othello! In this tragic tale of trust, deceit and a magical handkerchief, the audience is treated to an interesting and excellent portrayal of Shakespeare’s Othello. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, this play takes a modern day approach, differentiating itself from previous re-enactments. In this interpretation, the cast is dressed in normal, everyday clothing in the scenes that Hytner interpreted as being in “London or a modern cosmopolitan centre”. Followed by a change in costume (for most characters) into military attire when the play is shifted to Cyprus. Hytner’s road to glory was essentially a U-turn from the original text. His focus was to portray the emotions experienced by characters and to downplay the racial differences. Highlighted when Lester emerges, as confidently as President Barak Obama walking into an important conference, wearing a dark/navy blue suit. The integration of Othello into the rest of the community is witnessed on the army base, when Othello is seen wearing attire that is exactly the same as his Caucasian counterparts. Previous versions such as Jonathan Miller’s 1981 film and Oliver Parker’s 1995 film both focus primarily on the racial difference between Othello and the rest of the cast which, reinforced with Othello often wearing light/white coloured, traditional clothing, which was always...
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...Oliver Parker's Adaptation of 'Othello' - Review Since watching Oliver Parker’s adaptation of ‘Othello’, I have decided to give you my view on Parker’s take on the original play, which I found somewhat disappointing. The film was left shortened and many parts of the original play were omitted, which I think makes it hard for your typical, everyday person to understand. It may be much easier for purist Shakespeare followers to understand, but if you do not know the ins and outs of the book, then getting a grasp on Parker’s adaptation may be confusing, and therefore less enjoyable. Ultimately, I think this was the outcome – less enjoyable, than the original play, for the most of us. I disagree with Jenessa Casey's online review and many of the points that she raised. She claims that Oliver Parker ‘cut many parts of the play's scenes to shorten the film while adding a few to provide a more cinematic and box office-oriented production’. Although this may have been the desired effect, I do not feel that it has truly worked. Instead of making it a better box office production, it actually made it difficult to follow because of all the key, interlinking dialogue that was missed. This can easily sway our opinion on the characters themselves, and after watching the film, it made me view many of the characters very differently because of the way Parker had portrayed them. A vital part which was missed out was the exchange of words between Othello and Desdemona (Act 3 Scene 3). In the...
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...A Drama Analysis of Williams Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ Othello: Insecurity and Jealousy Shakespeare’s, Othello, is witness that everyone, no matter their cast in society, can become vulnerable when they are brought to doubt their sense of self. As a person matures and reaches the level of adulthood, they take on many different types of responsibilities as a functioning part of society. Society characterizes its members based on how effectively they deal with their responsibilities, and furthermore an individual’s identity and sense of self is derive in part, from their ability to handle the triumphs, growth and difficulties associated with being an adult. The way a person conducts his or herself determines how they as well as others perceive them. Ultimately, when making decision throughout life a person looks at what they as an individual value, and therefore what they perceive themselves to be influences their decision-making. When one works to destroy the reputation of another they seek to tarnish the way others perceive said person. On the other hand, in Shakespeare’s tragedy we see Iago go a step further, instead of just working to ruin Othello’s reputation, he targets the foundation of Othello’s sense of self. First, Iago plays on Othello’s jealousy by causing him to suspect Desdemona of being unfaithful without presenting any legitimate evidence. This jealousy leads to anxiety from which Iago goes on to insinuate that the very foundations of his love for Desdemona...
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...assignment. Before you begin writing the essay, carefully read the guidelines for developing your paper topic that are given below. Review the research paper Grading Rubric to see how your submission will be graded. Gather all of your information, plan the direction of your essay, and organize your ideas by developing a one-page thesis statement, outline, draft, and bibliography for your research paper. Format the thesis statement and the outline in a single Word document using MLA, APA, or Turabian style (whichever corresponds to your degree program). You have the opportunity to receive helpful instructor feedback if you submit your thesis, outline, draft, and bibliography by the end of Module/Week 7. The research paper is due by the end of Module/Week 8, and should include a title page, thesis statement, and outline, followed by the research essay itself and your correctly documented sources page. Guidelines for Developing Your Paper Topic Chapters 40 and 41 provide helpful pointers for writing about plays and for developing research papers. Be sure to review both chapters thoroughly before you begin doing any further work for this assignment. Choose one of the prompts below to address in your paper: 1. Write an essay explaining how Sophocles’ Oedipus exemplifies or refutes Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Review Chapter 33 in your textbook for the background and overview of Aristotle’s concept of tragedy/the tragic hero and drama. This chapter...
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...play was Othello which is the second most popular Shakespeare play. Othello is a tragedy written by Shakespeare between 1601 and 1604. The main character of this play is Othello who is frame by Iago to believe that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Othello is a Moorish general in the service of Venice. He was blinded by Iago to seek revenge against his wife and his lieutenant. The theme revenge is portrayed throughout the whole play. Such evil act is plotted and executed by the character Iago. He is focused on destroying Othello for not promoting him to lieutenant and does not care who will get hurt in the process of his vengeance. Iago main target was Othello; he was determined to take revenge against Othello by using numerous characters throughout the play. The first target was Barbantino Desdemona father followed by, Roderigo, Cassio and his wife Emilia. Revenge was the driven force that drove Iago to plot and carefully executes the tragic that ended with Othello and Desdemona life. Revenge is an unceasing theme throughout the play Othello. Iago’s character was seeking revenge against Othello. He is determined to fulfill his plans despite of who will get hurt or involve. Iago vengeance is a result of Othello Overseen him for promotion and instead his promotes Cassio to lieutenant. Such promotion is the driven force behind Iago malicious revenge and hate towards Othello. Iago has dedicated many years of service and loyalty to Othello. When Cassio...
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...in the early 20th century because the presence of Shakespeare on film raised the contemporary estimation of film. Almost all of his works have been adapted on screen in Hollywood and all other film industries. Hollywood has produced around 300 movies based on Shakespeare’s plays and characters. Films based on tragedies like Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet etc., have got very good response by the audience on the silver screen. In Bollywood also many directors adopted the work of Shakespeare. But Vishal Bhardwaj through his films showed that he is the true fan of Shakespeare and knows well how to do justice with the work of such a big writer on silver screen. His film Maqbool (2003) based on Macbeth, and Omkara (2006) based on Othello left very remarkable impression on audience’s hearts. Maqbool had its North American premiere at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. Though the film failed to entice much of an audience during its theatrical run in India, critics were appreciative and Pankaj Kapoor went on to win a Film fare Award for Best Actor (Critics) and a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. While Othello showcased at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival along with a book on the making of Omkara. It was also selected to be screened at the Cairo International Film Festival, where Vishal Bhardwaj was awarded...
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...Othello: Tragic Hero? Michael Charles Robinson ENGL 102 October 17, 2011 Ms. Charity Givens Othello: Tragic Hero? I. Introduction Thesis statement A. Thesis Statement II. Brief overview of Othello III. Aristotle and Othello A. Peripeteia B. Hamartia C. Anagnorsis D. Catharsis IV. Othello a tragic hero? A. Evidence supporting B. Not supporting V. Brief overview of “O” A. Comparison to original VI. Conclusion THESIS STATEMENT: Othello is a tragic hero because he mostly satisfies Aristotle’s four requirements for a tragic hero: peripeteia, hamartia, anagnorsis, and catharsis. Othello: Tragic Hero? The tragic play Othello, written by William Shakespeare has caused constant dispute on whether the main character Othello can be considered as a tragic hero or not. Othello is a tragic hero because he mostly satisfies Aristotle’s four requirements for a tragic hero: peripeteia, hamartia, anagnorsis, and catharsis. The exploration of different aspects of the Othello character will give the readers of this essay insight regarding whether Othello is a...
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...triggers many other emotions in the human psyche. From fear, grief and depression, jealousy can lead to anger and violence. Humans are not privileged to this emotion alone but all mammals are susceptible to such feelings. It has been suggested through research “jealousy first evolved in the context of sibling-parent relationships where dependent offspring compete for parental resources” (Harris and Prouvost). In both the movie O. and the play Othello jealousy is the driving emotion that causes the major conflicts. Despite their 400-year time difference, O. exhibits a near exact representation of Shakespeare’s Othello. In Othello, the character Iago is jealous that he was passed over for a promotion. Because of this, he attempts to get revenge by lying and deceiving others to discredit their character. An instance of this is when Iago deceived his friend Cassio by getting him drunk and causing him to fight Roderigo. This fight caused Cassio to lose his lieutenant position, which was the promotion Iago was jealous about. Iago also lied to Othello to convince him that his wife was being unfaithful with Cassio. These lies caused Othello’s jealousy and rage that lead him to murder his wife. In the movie O., the character Hugo is jealous that his father, the head basketball coach, has chosen two other basketball players as the MVP’s of the team. These two players, Oden and Michael, seem destine to have bright futures. Hugo, being jealous of these two, concocts a plan with the help of...
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...OTHELLO’S FOCUS ON RACISM The play, Othello, by Shakespeare is a tragic play that reveals that racism played a part in why various incidents happened throughout the story. Throughout the play, there are a few cases in which Othello seems to recognize and comment on his differences from those around him. Othello is very humble and doesn’t pretend to “act” like a pompous figure and states, “Rude am I in speech,/And little blessed with the soft phrase of speech” (I.iii.81-82). This humility defines his character throughout the first half of the play. Othello’s friendly personality allows him to woo his friends (and lovers) with tales that they want to hear again and again. This allows him to realize that he is admired, at least in part, because of the exotic elements of his character in his stories. Othello is a man that is willing to accept that he is racially different, yet not racially inferior, and in fact he realizes that his being categorized as “other” in a world of white men sets him aside and pronounces his race and exotic life story. “Racism creates racial otherness, making contingent attributes such as skin color into sins of supposedly essential identity in order to justify the community’s practices of domination and exclusion” (Skura, 300). All of the racism throughout the play is directed toward Othello, who was a brave soldier from Africa, who was currently the supreme commander of the Venetian army. Almost every character in the play uses some form of a racial...
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...ALLEGOR AND IRONY IN 'OTHELLO' Y ANTOINETT B. DAUBER E Othello is Shakespeare's Spenserian tragedy, in which the theme of slandere d chastity becomes a vehicle for exploring the problems of an allegorica l art . Allegory is the mode of selfconscious faith, and Spenser's corpus may be rea d as a portrai t of the artis t as allegorist , wrestling first with the burdens of selfconsciousness and then with the burdens of faith.l In Othello, Shakespeare compresses and objectifies this struggle. Unlike Spenser, he is not committed to the maintenance of allegory, and so he freely dramatizes the interna l weaknesses and external onslaughts that lead to its destruction. What I am calling the 'Spenserian ' quality begins with the chivalric elements in the tragedy. Truly, Othello is a kind of Savage Knight, Desdemona, the absolutely, almost miraculously, worthy lady, and Iago, something of a manipulator like Archimago.2 But more particularl y I would call attention to a specific engagement with Spenserian rhetoric . Consider Cassio' s words of welcome to the disembarking Desdemona: Tempests themselves, high seas, and howling winds, The gutter'd rocks and congregated sands, Traitors ensteep'd to enclog the guiltless keel, As having sense of beauty, do omit Their mortal natures, letting go safely by The divine Desdemona. (2.1.68-73)3 He sets her in the line of Spenser's heavenly allegories . As a parallel , we may recal l Una , slandere d by the arch-magician , abandone d by 123 her...
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...Othello Research Paper Othello is quite an interesting tragedy; full of deception. The Moor, also known s Othello is the undisputed “hero” of our story; but his heroics are no match for the sly antagonism of the character Iago. Iago is a bitter, crafty mind that uses his political prowess and friendly swagger to deceive his victims. Desdemona has her innocence used against her and exposed for a weakness as she is blinded by what’s right in front of her. The Moor, also known as Othello is the undisputed “hero” of our story; but his heroics are no match for the sly antagonism of the character Iago. Othello isn’t our everyday hero; seeing that there aren’t too many black heroes in the seventeenth century; especially in Venice. I feel as though Othello could have done very little as a human being to avoid his fate. When Iago began to manipulate the mind of Othello in Act 3, we finally begin to see the weakness in our “hero”. Othello being the hero and man that he is, we as an audience don’t expect him to be so weak minded in such a fixable situation. This brings thoughts to my mind about how blind love can make people in this world. Sometimes we fall so in love that we can’t see the very thing that stands in the way of our love growing. Being blinded by love doesn’t always end “happily ever after”, sometimes the worst possible thing could happen when you’re in the way of a mad ”blind” man that’s carrying a sword. So if I could ask first time readers of this story a question...
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...Oedipus and Othello For Oedipus and Othello “duty” should have their first priority. Othello’s duty was supposed to be the importance of his marriage, but he listened to Iago, ignored Desdemona, didn’t believe his own conscience, and his own heart. Oedipus’ duty was to defeat the Sphinx(which he does) free Thebes from heavy taxes(which he does) be a great king of Thebes and be a good husband, but instead he offends Creon, his brother-in-law and uncle; insults his friend, Tiresias the blind prophet; kills his father; and destroys Jocasta, his mother and his queen. Fatal flaws demolished the lives of both Oedipus and Othello. Othello was so proud of his honor and bravery that he didn’t recognize his violent temper and Iago’s mind tricks. Oedipus was so proud of his cleverness that he tried so hard to escape his own fate. With all that said, these were honestly just a couple of comparable traits between Oedipus and Othello. When looking for a great leader that would lead your city through anything and everything it is not hard to tell that both Oedipus and Othello could be those leaders. Both had great gifts in leadership. They stood up in what they believed in. Each held exceptional accomplishments and both possessed the ability to be an all-around leader. Othello was a respectable citizen who was usually known for his fighting or war success. He knew how and what the goal was to succeed. Not all leaders knew that. Oedipus was also somewhat the same. He, like Othello, was known...
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...The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story Un Capitano Moro ("A Moorish Captain") by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565. The work revolves around four central characters: Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army; his wife, Desdemona; his lieutenant, Cassio; and his trusted ensign, Iago. Because of its varied and current themes of racism, love, jealousy, and betrayal, Othello is still often performed in professional and community theatres alike and has been the basis for numerous operatic, film, and literary adaptations. The play opens with Roderigo, a rich and dissolute gentleman, complaining to Iago, a high-ranking soldier, that Iago has not told him about the secret marriage between Desdemona, the daughter of a Senator named Brabantio, and Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army. He is upset by this development because he loves Desdemona and had previously asked her father for her hand in marriage. Iago hates Othello for promoting a younger man named Michael Cassio above him, and tells Roderigo that he plans to use Othello for his own advantage. Iago is also angry because he believes, or at least gives the pretence of belief, that Othello slept with his wife Emilia. Iago denounces Cassio as a scholarly tactician with no real battle experience; in contrast, Iago is a battle-tested soldier. By emphasizing Roderigo's...
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