Othello Essay
Comparative Essay - Othello and O
“In the transformation process Othello and O deal with the same issues and ideas, but do so in different ways.”
In the play ‘Othello’ written by William Shakespeare and the movie ‘O’ directed by Tim Nelson, many themes and issues are dealt with over the course of the text. However ‘Othello’ and ‘O’ portray these themes using different techniques which have changed during the transformation process from literature to film. Some of the main reoccurring issues are racism and jealousy.
Both of the composers had to adapt their ideas and themes to their time period and setting, Shakespeare in Venetian times of war and Nelson a modern day America, in a southern state school. These settings emphasise the themes and give cause for the actions of the characters, in their context, it is realistic and fits in with the time period. In the modernized ‘O’, the context has changed to be relevant to a modern audience which means it is easily relatable to modern society and keeps up with current issues, as well and keeping those issues portrayed in ‘Othello.’
The theme of racism is a reoccurring issue throughout both ‘Othello’ and ‘O’ and is shown mainly through the character of The Moor in ‘Othello’ and Odin James in ‘O.’
In Othello, the theme of racism is introduced in the very first scene of Act 1 as Othello is only mentioned using derogatory terms such as ‘The Moor’ and even ‘The devil.’ This first presents the idea of Othello not being equal to his other comrades because of his skin colour, even though he has a high rank he still has many cynics. The only reason Othello has any respect in the Venetian society is because of his decorated military career. One technique Shakespeare uses to resonate the idea of racism is the use of metaphor, constantly degrading Othello by comparing him to an animal such as an ‘old black ram’ which juxtaposes the image of Desdemona, a ‘young white ewe’ as it was highly controversial and frowned upon
“In the transformation process Othello and O deal with the same issues and ideas, but do so in different ways.”
In the play ‘Othello’ written by William Shakespeare and the movie ‘O’ directed by Tim Nelson, many themes and issues are dealt with over the course of the text. However ‘Othello’ and ‘O’ portray these themes using different techniques which have changed during the transformation process from literature to film. Some of the main reoccurring issues are racism and jealousy.
Both of the composers had to adapt their ideas and themes to their time period and setting, Shakespeare in Venetian times of war and Nelson a modern day America, in a southern state school. These settings emphasise the themes and give cause for the actions of the characters, in their context, it is realistic and fits in with the time period. In the modernized ‘O’, the context has changed to be relevant to a modern audience which means it is easily relatable to modern society and keeps up with current issues, as well and keeping those issues portrayed in ‘Othello.’
The theme of racism is a reoccurring issue throughout both ‘Othello’ and ‘O’ and is shown mainly through the character of The Moor in ‘Othello’ and Odin James in ‘O.’
In Othello, the theme of racism is introduced in the very first scene of Act 1 as Othello is only mentioned using derogatory terms such as ‘The Moor’ and even ‘The devil.’ This first presents the idea of Othello not being equal to his other comrades because of his skin colour, even though he has a high rank he still has many cynics. The only reason Othello has any respect in the Venetian society is because of his decorated military career. One technique Shakespeare uses to resonate the idea of racism is the use of metaphor, constantly degrading Othello by comparing him to an animal such as an ‘old black ram’ which juxtaposes the image of Desdemona, a ‘young white ewe’ as it was highly controversial and frowned upon