Practice HSC essay

Shakespeare’s play ‘Othello’ and the contemporary appropriation of a film ‘O’ by Tim Blake Nelson are based on the societal values and morals of their time. Issues such as racism, the use of language and deception are timeless making them evident throughout both contexts, hence the engagements in both textual forms.
Differing contexts convey concerns in different ways through the use of diverse techniques. For example ‘Othello’ is a play which uses props, stage positioning and lighting compared to ‘O’ a film using camera angles, technology and music. This develops a sense of timelessness as issues relevant in the Elizabethan era still being relevant in our present day. Both texts are created due to the values of their era, allowing the context to be relatable to the audience. For example in Shakespeare’s era, attitudes of superstition and witchcraft take precedence over values of equality, therefore power and honour were relevant to ‘Othello’s’ context.
Othello’s specific ethnic background is of a darker race. Even though he was ‘black’ he was accepted as a leader. He was a general in the army, so he respectable social values. Othello is portrayed as courageous and honourable with the integrity to protect his city. In terms of marrying a white woman, views of Othello were significantly different. Through the use of the quote “Even now, now an old black ram is tupping your white ewe.” The use of the word ‘black’ signifies an inherent evil as Brabantio seems to view as well. Brabantio couldn’t understand how his daughter could be happy with an ‘outsider’, causing him to accuse Othello of witchcraft as this belief was relevant at the time. This emphasises the racial view of the Elizabethan era. As racism is an issue still relevant to modern society ‘O’ highlights the issue with contemporary techniques. Odin the modernised interpretation of ‘Othello’ is respected as a leader in the same context, although this is represented by Odin becoming the basketball teams