Othello Prelim Essay

When the aspirational values of an individual become all-consuming, the family relationships of those close to them are destroyed, through and through the corruption of loyalty and trust. Both Shakespeares Othello and Geoffrey Saxs Othello portray some elements of tragedy, by exploring the relationship of Othello and Iago/Jago, and the way his manipulations distort Othellos mind. Iagos zealousness in Shakespeares play Othello reflect the elements of a black flaw in an individual, and the disruption of the Chain of Being, both(prenominal) being severalize features of a tragedy.Iagos words, Men should be what they seem, are ironic, as he hides his true self from Othello, who trusts him completely, in order to gain what he desires. His rejection, and hunt, of the contemplate of Othellos lieutenant eventually poses his demise, hence becoming his fatal flaw. Iagos continued pursuit of his goal leads to the deaths of many, which provides a metaphor for all audiences of the end our aspirations can cause.The unbalance in the Chain of Being is corrected in the conclusion of Shakespeares Othello, however, Saxs Othello results in Ben Jago becoming successful, and achieving the mail service of Police Commissioner. Saxs Jago psychologically manipulates and abuses his victims, in contrast to the authorized play, where many are physically killed. Our modern audience expects this, however, because we, as tumesce as Jago, realise that for him to achieve his goals, he has to be subtle in order to avoid detection in our age of fingerprinting and desoxyribonucleic acid sampling.In this way, Saxs Jago has to prepare his plans a lot more than Shakespeares Iago, which leads to him gaining the position he wanted, preferably than being captured. However, both wipe out very similar plans, revolving around manipulation, peculiarly Othellos mind and emotions. Othellos trust, thereby his loyalty, relies on his slamledge of the individual, particularly their past. In both t exts, his slight uncertainty with his trust in Desdemona/Dessie is due to their fast wedding party and lack of knowledge of their lives onwards he met them.In Shakespeares Othello, Desdemonas and Othellos sudden marriage, which finalises their relationship, is accentuated by Iago ask Othello But I pray sir,/ Are you fast married? This leaves us confused as to how these characters became truly familiar with each other before their marriage, and foreshadows what is to later come. Sax portrays Othellos niggling doubt towards Dessie as due to her lock up about her boarding school days, when she met Lulu. However, Dessie defends herself against his accusations of her being secretive, by shouting, Its always you talk of the town and me listeningThis frame is a close-up, overhead shot of Dessie, emphasising how vulnerable she is to Othello, and adumbrative the circumstances of her death. Othellos distorted trust enables Iagos plan to succeed, because he puts his loyalties in the sc athe hands. Sax portrays Ben Jago as a police officer, who we and also Othello, expect to be just and honest, as police uphold and enforce the law. Similarly, Shakespeares Iago held a position that was expected to be trusted, as a part of the army who were appoint the role of protecting their country.This fallibility of Othellos trust and loyalty allowed Iago to manipulate him such that he was able to isolate him, and destroy his relationships with others. The relationship breakdowns in both versions of Othello cause vast amounts of chaos, because the Chain of Being is broken. Shakespeares Othello decides that Desdemona is guilty before even consulting her, as seen when Iago tells him, She did deceive her father, marrying you, and he replies, And so she did.His truncated sentence bluntly expresses his view, implying that he has made up his mind, and nothing can change it. Similarly, Sax depicts Othello as already concluded that Dessie is guilty, by him saying, You tell me what I wa nt to know Tell me the truth bitch These words are accompanied by a low shot, looking up at a close-up of Othellos face, indicating the big businessman Othello has over Dessie, and makes the viewer empathetic towards her, by feeling weak and insecure. However, we have recurring scenes that show how Desdemona is trying to keep their relationship together.Sax shows this by representing Dessie as a woman in a domestic violence household, peculiarly when she says, He needs me. Similarly, Shakespeare characterises Desdemona as a dutiful wife, It was his bidding We mustiness not displease him. Desdemona/Dessies loyalty to her husband infuriates Othello more, as he believes it is more of a lie to keep the secret from him, rather than tell him outright, and it is the defeat thing that Desdemona could do to him, Shes like a liar gone to yearning hell.All these little aspects of Desdemona/Dessie and Othellos relationship, in both Shakespeares and Saxs Othello, combine to cause the des truction of it, upon which the whole play is hinged upon. The end of a relationship is caused by many varying factors, but mostly a diminished sense of trust, whether it has a basis to be there, or whether someone values it so dispirited that they put their own selfish desires over it.This is true in the incase of Shakespeares Othello, and the modern adaption Othello, directed by Geoffrey Sax. Iago/Jagos aspirations cause him to manipulate many people, with the decision of destroying Othellos relationships, mainly with Desdemona/Dessie, to achieve the position that was wrongly given to someone else. This holds a mirror up to both the Elizabethan and our modern societies, critiquing our nature and values.