forgotten.
forgotten.
It asks us to read these plays to learn about the horrors that African Americans have faced during their period of enslavement, and how freed slaves attempted to bring these atrocities to light through writing literature. It also helps us understand how theatre was used as a tool to assist in the freeing of millions of enslaved people, as well as a way to mock an entire race. It is important to search for the inspiration behind any theatrical style and determine what the motivation was in developing it into a staged production. From the extremely racist motives behind minstrel shows, to the noble cause of the slave narrative, by determining the motivation behind each theatrical movement, we can attain a more comprehensive understanding of the…
It was towards the end of summer, when 13 year old Malcolm Johnson had discovered that his normal days were coming to an end. Malcolm had to take on more responsibility as he was preparing to attend into Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, California. Malcolm was known to be an outgoing individual who excelled in any activity he participated in. He was one of the smartest students in the class, along with being a varsity level football and basketball player. Malcolm lived with both his parents who were also well-known throughout the area. His mom, Gertrude Johnson, is an anesthesiologist who has won a variety of awards, such as the Frontiers in Anesthesia Research Award, IARS Mentored Research Award, and the SCA-IARS Research Grants. Malcolm’s father, D’angelo Johnson, was a statistician who had discovered many real world and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.…
OTHELLO IS ONE OF SHAKESPEARE 'S GREATEST TRAGEDIES AND CONSEQUENTLY A PILLAR OF WHAT MOST CRITICS TAKE TO BE THE PINNACLE OF SHAKESPEARE 'S DRAMATIC ART. IN RECENT YEARS, FILMMAKERS HAVE RE-CONTEXTUALIZED HIS WORKS, INTO A NUMBER OF MORE MODERN SETTINGS, IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE HIS WORK MORE UNDERSTANDABLE TO CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCES. ONE SUCH ADAPTATION IS GEOFFREY SAX 'S 'OTHELLO '. SET IN LONDON, IT DETAILS AN ENGLISH-BORN BLACK POLICE OFFICER, JOHN OTHELLO, A RISING STAR IN LONDON 'S POLICE DEPARTMENT, KNOWN FOR HIS INTEGRITY, MORAL PRINCIPLES AND COMPETENCE ON THE JOB. AFTER A CASE OF FALSE ARREST AND DEATH OF A BLACK MAN IN CUSTODY, HE FINDS HIMSELF PROMOTED TO THE POSITION OF COMMISSIONER OF THE DIVISION, IN ORDER TO PLEASE THE PUBLIC BECAUSE HE IS SEEN AS A STRONG LINK BETWEEN THE POOR AND REBELLIOUS PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY, WHO ARE SICK OF ALL THE POLICE BRUTALITY AND RACISM, AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.…
Paul Robeson was a famous African American athlete, singer, actor and advocate for the civil…
Bibliography: 1. Blakemore Evans, G. (Editor). The Riverside Shakespeare. 1974. Houghton Miffin Company. Boston, Massatsus.…
Shakespeare's plays are one of the most successful literatures of all time. His plays addressed many important issues in the world. Othello is a play that successfully brings together critical themes of love, appearances, racism and jealousy and most importantly role of women in the Elizabethan era. Through the exploration of the role of women in Othello and plays written by Shakespeare, this essay will argue that literature is most successful when dealing with a global issues like gender role.…
In the early 1900’s, many black artist be flood the streets of New York City. In our generation now, there aren’t many kids who see art as poetry or music, but as a piece of painting that we can make using pencils, paint, and markers. Out of those few kids, there are a great number of them who see art in poetry more than a composition framed in a museum. Now out of those few, there would be a wide range of African American artist to become big-time artist. Who would have given us an opening to get such a great opportunity to become known in the world that use to be segregated years ago? In the 1920’s, many talented African Americans came to New York City and began showing their talents. Out of all of those talents, a few was selected. One of those talents were poetry. Artist like Langston Hughes and Zora Neal Hurston became big-time artist. They were liked by all races which made them a great African American poets. They talked about the American dream and ways lives could have been, which I’m sure many African Americans could relate to and what others wanted to know. They talked about their feelings which and everyday life. As time went on, they passed away, but their poetry remained for many years. In the 1950’s, there was a play named: Fences by August Wilson. The play was about growing up being an African American. The play talks about how Negros couldn’t drive garbage trucks and how one man can make an opening for other African Americans. The poetry written during the Harlem Renaissance plays a huge role in the 1950’s because of what the play is about. It is about how life then and how it begins to change. The renaissance opened door for future generations. The legacy of the Harlem Renaissance opened doors and deeply influenced the generations of African American writers (Poets). Without the renaissance we wouldn’t have as many opportunities to express our talents. August Wilson shows in his play: Fences that…
Cited: Butler-Evans, Elliot. " 'Haply, for I am Black ': Othello and the Semiotics of Race and Otherness." New Essays by Black Writers. Ed. Mythili Kaul. Washington D.C.: Howard UP, 1997. 139-150.…
In the period the play was set (1950s), being black, a women and in the working class spelled out an evitable…
William Shakespeare’s Elizabethan play Othello (16th Century) and its modern (21st Century) appropriation O’ by Tim Blake Nelson depict a story of an African American hero, who is deceived by one of his close allies. Both writers have incorporated themes and values appropriate to the context of their time, to shape and form meaning within each piece of work.…
Born in New York City on 24th July 1807, son of Reverend Daniel and Luranah Aldridge, poor citizens of class known as "Free Negroes". Educated at New York's African Free School and briefly at University of Glasgow, Scotland. Active in New York amateur theatre. Made his professional stage debut as the first black actor at Royal Coburg Theatre, London on 10th October 1825 playing role of Prince Oroonoko of Africa sold into slavery in melodrama The Revolt of Surinam, or A Slave's Revenge. Toured established theatre circuits in provinces of British Isles for 27 years as star of about 60 roles in melodrama, romantic drama, operetta, comedy and Shakespeare. Appeared at Theatre Royal Covent Garden in 1833 as Othello. First white role Dirk Hatteraick in Guy Mannering. First tour of Continent in 1852. In last 15 years of life appeared in Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Russia and Ukraine. Performed by royal command. "Crowded houses greeted him everywhere, princes and people eager to see him...Honors, orders and medals were showered upon him..."…
Cited: William, Shakespeare,, and Samuel Johnson. Othello authoritative text, sources and contexts, criticism. Ed. Edward Pechter. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2004. Print.…
The following are two speeches that I found to be most meaningful to me. Both quotes are said by Othello, whose character I believe made the most impact on my perception of the first great black protagonist in Western literature.…
Commonly considered the greatest writer of all time, William Shakespeare composed some of the most highly regarded literary works that have ever been produced. His plays, so clever in their wordplay and verse, are to this day read and preformed all over the world. From middle school English class, to Cambridge University, scholars of all calibers can read and analyze his work, but it takes a true master of the pen to attempt to rewrite one of Shakespeare’s masterpieces. His plays are not only riddled with poetic language and complex characters, but also layered with contemporary symbolism that often goes unnoticed by the modern reader. For instance, it is widely accepted that Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest, is a commentary on the morality of colonialism during the rise of the first British Empire, with Caliban representing the oppressed and enslaved natives. When rewriting this piece, French protégé Aimé Césaire chose to make this metaphor the overriding theme of his play, A Tempest, however he updated the issue to the more contemporary problem of civil rights in the United States, using Caliban to represent the enraged African Americans of the Nation of Islam. In order to effectively display this allegory, Césaire amplifies Caliban’s hatred of his oppressor to match the outraged attitudes of black Americans who were fed up with the segregated and oppressive social system that plagued the United States. While Caliban was already an indignant and deprived servant in Shakespeare’s original work, in Césaire’s rewrite he exacerbates this hatred towards his oppressor Prospero and his situation until he can no longer hold back the compulsion to rebel.…
Othello is a tragedy play that was written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Although William Shakespeare came up with the concept of Othello, he did not write any of it down. We have a recollection of the play from actors’ telling what they remember from acting it out and some even wrote down what they remembered using stenography. Today, this is how we have the magnificent play, Othello. Othello is a play that tells the story of the powerful General of the Army of Venice. Othello is the first great black protagonist in Western literature, and is still one of the most famous. Othello stages a hero’s fall from grace to an insane, violent and jealous husband who murders his own wife after he is convince that she is unfaithful. William Shakespeare’s Othello, clearly illustrates how Othello’s identity is manipulated by others and shapes his actions.…