By exploring the intertextuality between a text and its adaption, understandings of the underlying issues within the texts can be further developed. Alterations in the ways in which the plots are delivered reflect the different contexts of the composers and in advance, reflect on the values of the other text via comparison. The film adaption of Shakespeare’s play Othello, Othello (2001) directed by Geoffrey Sax, shows this interlink between two texts that, when contrasted, will broaden the audience’s views on the original text with the universal message of racial and gender issues and the theme of appearance against reality within the texts.
Through examining two texts created under vastly different contexts, issues that are not explored …show more content…
Both Sax and Shakespeare highlights this through their settings of the texts in places where it is economically advanced and are the leading powers in world authorities, however despite how progressed the place of setting is, the objectification of women within the society is still largely prevalent. In Shakespeare’s Othello women are constantly referred to as property by the male characters, such as when Desdemona is frequently put align with possessions to symbolise her position. Moreover, through putting Desdemona’s beauty as her predominant feature in other characters’ descriptions of her, Shakespeare shows that in the patriarchal Elizabethan society women are judged by their physical traits and only valued for their beauty, thus leading up to their ultimate objectification. On the contrary Sax explores the objectification of women not through the mouths of other characters, but from the dialogues of Dessie herself where she constantly promotes the idea of objectifying women, “I was like a blank sheet, waiting for you (Othello) to write your name on me”, and supports the idea of gender stereotypes, “you’re (Othello) supposed to be the strong one, you’re supposed to take care of me”. This difference between how gender inequality is delivered reflects on Sax’s views on the devastative nature of the media objectifying women, as it is causing females questioning their own sense of identity as compared to centuries ago in Shakespeare’s Othello women were objectified by men. This leads to the re-evaluation of contemporary audiences on the significance of influences from the society with how sexism ideas are formed in a society. Ultimately, the different time settings of two texts allow the audience to revise on how context may impact on the construction of gender
Through examining two texts created under vastly different contexts, issues that are not explored …show more content…
Both Sax and Shakespeare highlights this through their settings of the texts in places where it is economically advanced and are the leading powers in world authorities, however despite how progressed the place of setting is, the objectification of women within the society is still largely prevalent. In Shakespeare’s Othello women are constantly referred to as property by the male characters, such as when Desdemona is frequently put align with possessions to symbolise her position. Moreover, through putting Desdemona’s beauty as her predominant feature in other characters’ descriptions of her, Shakespeare shows that in the patriarchal Elizabethan society women are judged by their physical traits and only valued for their beauty, thus leading up to their ultimate objectification. On the contrary Sax explores the objectification of women not through the mouths of other characters, but from the dialogues of Dessie herself where she constantly promotes the idea of objectifying women, “I was like a blank sheet, waiting for you (Othello) to write your name on me”, and supports the idea of gender stereotypes, “you’re (Othello) supposed to be the strong one, you’re supposed to take care of me”. This difference between how gender inequality is delivered reflects on Sax’s views on the devastative nature of the media objectifying women, as it is causing females questioning their own sense of identity as compared to centuries ago in Shakespeare’s Othello women were objectified by men. This leads to the re-evaluation of contemporary audiences on the significance of influences from the society with how sexism ideas are formed in a society. Ultimately, the different time settings of two texts allow the audience to revise on how context may impact on the construction of gender