Good morning fellow aspiring directors, I’m here today from the Australian Film School and will be discussing the well known play Othello by Shakespeare, the play to this day is still very relevant, Shakespeare has done this by incorporating the themes jealousy, appearance and reality and racism which still occurs in our society today and can often appear in our day to day life. By including these themes in the play it keeps the relationship with the now modern audience despite the original plays age. This is seen in Geoffrey Sax’s 2001 film Othello, where Geoffrey has appropriated the film following the original plot but has changed many aspects of Shakespeare’s Othello to suit todays audience, while keeping the themes showing the same universal…
Although this situation is similar to Macbeth, Iago and Roderigo are not discussing Othello as a noble man. Contrastingly, Iago is open about disliking Othello and is seeking to get him in trouble with Brabantio, the father of Desdemona, who is the woman Othello just eloped with. When accused by Brabantio of using witchcraft on Desdemona, Othello stays calm and behaves as a virtuous man. In act one scene three, Othello explains how he won Desdemona’s heart, and shows that Brabantio admires him when he says “Her father loved me, oft invited me,/ still questioned me the story of my life” (1.3.130-131). The story of his past is a daunting and brave adventure that reveals that he is foreign to Venice, showing that he earned his position as a general.…
First, the father of Desdemona, Barbantio; calls Othello a “foul thief’ due to Othello being a ‘moor’ and a secret marriage plotter (Act 1, Scene 2, line 61). Iago reports to Barbantio that his daughter Desdemona has married a foolish man by the name of Othello thus ignoring her good father; this in turn causes a drift between Othello and Barbantio’s family. Also, Iago calls Othello a ‘moor that changes with posion’ due to their upset relationship (Act 3, Scene 3, Line 326). Understandingly, Iago plots games against Othello due to Othello gaining popularity in Venice and Cyprus, Iago has a upset and frightful relation with Othello. Lastly, Desdemona’s original lover Roderigo dislikes Othello very much because he stole his girlfriend away from him, he says that “Tush, never tell me!…
A plethora of people value trust over many other qualities in a relationship, but that confidence can be easily broken. Human beings have a tendency to believe lies more often than they actually accept the truth. Winston Churchill said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” As seen in Othello: The Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare, Iago’s lies spread throughout Othello’s world, and it is too late for the truth to overcome the deception. The build up of fabrications result in Othello deciding to believe Iago over his own wife because of his insecurities about his race, lack of information about Venice, and Iago’s ability to manipulate situations to his advantage.…
This is the first controversy in the play due to the gender roles put on by society. As a women, Desdemona is considered her father’s property and society dictated that the father alone must chose his daughter 's husband. Instead of marrying one of the rich Venetian men that her father expects her to marry for his own gain, she marries Othello for love. Her father is outraged at their union and tries to enact his male dominance over her by pleading his case of his ‘stolen’ daughter to the Duke. In response, both Desdemona and Othello describe a beautiful story of love and loyalty to one another and the court dismisses her father’s claims.…
In spite of Desdemona’s devotion and loving demeanor toward her husband, Othello’s faults shine through and ultimately…
Othello is lead to believe by Iago that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. This is untrue, but through manipulation from Iago, Othello believes otherwise. After coming to the false realization that Desdemona is deceiving Othello, he poses the question of “Why did I marry?” (3.3.283). This is a breaking point for Othello, because in this question is the regret of his marriage to Desdemona, since Othello is under the impression that she is being unfaithful in their marriage.…
The tragedy of Othello was highly influenced by Iago’s manipulation of perception. This was illustrated, when Iago exploited Rodrigo’s unrealistic and self-serving love for Desdemona. Also, including when Iago willfully misled Cassio’s judgement by utilizing his fixation with class. And notably demonstrated, with Iago as he precisely disoriented Othello’s reassurance in his wife, Desdemona’s faithfulness. Othello was fused to the idea of an uncertain reality that was deliberately deceived by Iago.…
Shakespeare’s introduction of the characters allows him to communicate Othello’s calm and composed state of mind as a result of his balanced trust between Desdemona and Iago. Through Othello’s rationale behind loving Desdemona, Shakespeare displays the resulting strong bond of trust between the two and its impact upon Othello’s mental state. Amidst the controversial announcement of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage, Othello declares that “[Desdemona loves] me for the dangers I [have] passed,/And I [love] her for that she [does] pity them” (1.3.166-167). Here, Othello asserts that he loves, and in extension trusts, Desdemona because of her ability to support and validate him. This history of loyalty and ‘pity’ refers to the basis of Othello’s…
Male Fear of Female Sexuality in Othello In Shakespeare’s play Othello, the author develops the idea that males are often fearful of female sexuality. In this case specifically, Othello fears Desdemona’s sexuality. These fears lead to many other complications and disputes which ultimately stimulates Othello’s tragic ending.…
Not everything is what it seems There are many different themes and conflicts that are portrayed in Shakespeare 's play Othello. Shakespeare depicts jealousy, manipulation, and hate within all the characters. The most reoccurring one would have to be appearance versus reality." The characters deceive one another into creating a complete deception of reality. In Othello, "Appearance vs. Reality takes a big role, this is because all of the characters were tricked/manipulated by other characters leading them towards assumptions that were not true.…
Machiavelli’s Prince seeks to recruit and educate a ruler in the art of ruling. His ideal rulers are founders, men who created a fatherland and were not afraid to sacrifice lives and their self-interests for the common good. Machiavelli stresses that a ruler needs to appear virtuous while using vices when necessary to achieve positive results. Machiavelli teaches the ruler to divide his self. “It is essential, therefore, for a Prince […] to have learned how to be other than good, and to use or not use his goodness as necessity requires” (Machiavelli, 40).…
In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello suffers “the classic war between passion and responsibility” due to his conflicting thoughts about Desdemona allegedly being unfaithful, while attempting to maintain his responsibilities of being a rational and composed leader. By way of Iago’s manipulation and lies, Othello begins a metamorphosis of his character, that causes him to become a man who loses sight of his moral responsibilities and duties, leaving his decisions completely governed by his passion. The significance of Othello’s transition in character is incredible to the play, as it contributes to the theme of how unchecked passion can stray even the strong-willed from maintaining their moral responsibilities. Othello’s overwhelming thoughts of doubt and betrayal, planted by Iago, cause him to lose sight of his responsibilities, in being a poised and rational leader.…
Essentially, there is usually more to an individual than humans can physically see. Often people appear to portray certain character traits, but in reality use them as a way to conceal their true inner being. The theme of appearance versus reality plays a huge role in the play Othello. The protagonist, Othello, often renders characteristics that cause him to masquerade himself to be seen as a noble being. In Shakespearian literature, William Shakespeare tends to compose characters that eventually become involved in villainous behavior.…
Othello becomes a tragedy of incomprehension where hate, manipulation and revenge derive from the arrogant and blinded nature of the characters and their interactions with one another. Within the Aristotelian tragedy of ‘Othello’, the attribute of incomprehension creates the ultimate downfall of Othello through Rodrigo’s initial and prevalent manipulation by Iago to further his plans, Iago’s inability to comprehend Othello’s genuine trust for him which fuels his blinded revenge and Othello’s incomprehension of Desdemona’s loyalty towards him which leads to his jealous rage and in turn, his death. Alongside Othello’s gradual buildup of jealousy throughout the play by Iago’s masterful plans, the downfall of Othello ultimately demonstrates the…