O and Othello Comparison Essay

Othello is unmatched of the brilliant plays pen by William Shakespeare. It is the story of man named Othello and how his mind was twisted and manipulated by a man named Iago and how Iago made Othello turn over that his wife Desdemona was cheating on him with his lieutenant Michael Cassio, which results in many deaths. Tim Blake Nelson has creatively restructured Othello into a film to entreaty to a teenage audience. It still contains the same central ideas which are racism, jealousy and deception which will be analysed on how they are portrayed in Othello and are creatively reshaped in O.Jealously is one of the main central ideas and is shown through many character barely mainly Iago and Hugo and Othello and O. In act 4, panorama 5 Othello goes into an eplileplsy fit after hearing the news that Cassio slept with Othellos wife Desdemona and Othello has lost nearly all in all control of himself to his jealousy in the play. Nelson has recreated this scene into a Slam Dunk competit ion where Odin is high on cocaine and Hugo (Iago) has given him the misinformation that Desi (Desdemona) and Michael (Cassio) have been quiescence together. In the novel Othello, Othello strikes Desdemona in the company of Lodovico, a Venetian nobleman.This very(prenominal) action implies that Othello is so engrossed in his emotion that he plainly does not criminal maintenance that other people can see his anger and subsequent violence towards his wife. In O, this concept has been magnify where Odins violent actions do not occur in front of one person, hardly or else in front of an entire crowd of people. Also when Lodovicos sees this he is strike and Othello has to fix his actions My lord, this would not be believed in Venice, / Though I should swear I sawt. Tis very much / Make her amends she weeps (4. 1. 36) During O, when Odin destroys the backboard and pushes the ball boy down, the crowd simply boos at him. some(prenominal) responses are appropriate to the contexts the y take place in, but some(prenominal) express displeasure at Othellos actions. To further prove the point that Othello holds no regard for anyone elses opinion at this point, he ignores the responses in both contexts and continues harboring his jealously. In Shakespeares script, Othello continues to rant about how evil he believes Desdemona is If that the earth could teem with fair sexs tears, / Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile (IV. 1. 39-240), whereas in O, Odin remains silent and simply struts around the basketball court with his arms outstretched while the crowd boos him.Both actions hint at the much selfish aspect of Othellos emotions by ignoring his surroundings and clinging to his beliefs, he proves that he is thinking more about himself at this point than anything else. In O when Odin shatters the backboard it is a visual metaphor for destroying Desi as basketball is something that defines Odin so in that respectfore basketball could be interpreted as a symbol for the things Odin loves and enjoys in his life such asDesi.By having Odin destroy the backboard of the basketball hoop, Nelson illustrates the cartroad that Odin and Othello decided to take, a path that will destroy everything they love, and ultimately themselves. Therefore the image foreshadows their death. Racism is also largely seen in both texts, Shakespeare makes it clear that Othellos colour has a lot to do with Iagos problems with him. The term Moor employ to describe Othello at various points in the play. The term Moor was widely employd as a synonym for Negro When Shakespeare describes the elopement of Desdemona and Othello, he makes it appear to be unnatural.He goes so far as to mention their elopement to bestiality. There can be no doubt that Othellos blackness is a significant exposit of the play. In Othello Desdemona call him the Moor and she is his loving and faithful wife whereas when Iago says it, it is offensive. In the film O there is a lot of racism, Odin a nd Desi jokingly discuss their different races. When she disapproves of his use of nigga, he tells her that he is allowed to say it but she cannot even think it. Despite his apparently shallow answer, Odin is hauntedby a profound unease about his own blackness.When Hugo tells Odin that Desi and Mike called him the nigga, This is extremely offensive to and he begins to act out his ramp and self-loathing. In Othello the word Moor has been replaced by with a the word nigga to appeal to younger audiences. head game can also be seen throughout both texts and especially when Iago plentys Cassio up to make Othello hear the Cassio has been sleeping with Desdemona. In Othello this scene is set in a jail area whereas in O it is set in Iagos bedroom and Othello is hiding outside the room listening in on the conversation.Nelson has creatively reshaped this scene from early times to the 20th century. During this scene in O Cassio talks about Desi as a floosy and talks badly of Odin calling t he name Nigga, this in use of language from Michael is the language that teenagers use which is another way Nelson has creatively reshaped Othello. Overall, Nelson has creatively reshaped the central ideas jealousy, racism and deception into the modern film but still keeping the story line. In O he has successfully done this by range it in a high school and making Odin the star basketball player.