Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and I hope you're as excited as I am to be here, to discuss with you my new film pitch, a modern adaptation of one of Shakespeare's most-loved classics, Othello.
Despite being written to pander to the lowest common demoniter in Elizabethan times, Shakespeare, in our society, seems to be reserved for scholars and the well-educated, with its use of language lowering it's accessibilty and providing us with a barrier to enjoyment , making it relatively obsolete in our times.
Modernising Othello provides an opportunity to transform the play into an understandable and relevant story, whilst preserving the themes, values and attitudes portrayed in the original, however, manipulating them to resonate with a modern
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Entitled 'The Treachery of Images', the film makes reference to Magritte's infamous pipe painting, reminding us that we should not necessarily believe in what we see and think, as deception lies in every nook and cranny in our lives, meaning that nothing can truly be trusted. This is a modern and novel nod to Othello, as the play itself is an adept exploration of the faces of good and evil, proving the end point that nothing, and no one, are truly what they seem.
My vision re-casts Othello as Oliver, a 20th century English Duke, who, despite his constant questioning of the church and it's values, is appointed as mayor of a small village, leaving the metropolitan haven of the city, and into a place where he is neither trusted nor accepted. With him come his faithful and sweet wife, Dorothea, who married him against her heavily religious fathers wishes, and his two sons, Ichabod and Charles. Whilst Oliver trusts, and supposedly favours, Ichabod, Charles is far more successful than his brother, meaning he is named sole heir of the families wealth and estate. For fair natured and trustworthy Ichabod, this would be a choice that he would support wholly, however, a changling has taken his place, a curse put upon him by the God that he questions so freely. Under the pretense of being Ichabod, the changeling begins to wreak havoc, coaxing Oliver into pyschosis and convincing him that there is something Oedipal occuring between Charles and Dorothea, and eventually causing Oliver to murder
Shakespeare's works have persistently influenced humanity for the past four hundred years. Quotations from his plays are used in many other works of literature and some common phrases have even become integrated into the English language. Most high schoolers have been unsuccessful in avoidance of him and college students are rarely afforded the luxury of choice when it comes to studying the bard. Many aspects of Shakespeare's works have been researched but one of the most popular topics since the 1960s has been the portrayal of women in Shakespeare's tragedies, comedies, histories and sonnets.
And to sum up this whole idea,Othello was a great representation of a Historical-Cultural figure starting with the way he’s treated, to his responses to it, ending with the way he compromise with the different situations that comes his
Othello has been described as one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays because the play focuses on its themes of good and evil, military, politics, love and marriage, religion, racial prejudice, gender conflict, and sexuality; but the controversy and debate surrounding Othello is “Why is Othello a qualification for a tragedy?”
People still admire Shakespeare and create modern versions of his work. The play version of his work made it clear that it is possible to modernize Shakespeare's work, and make it humorous in a way people can understand. Not many people may know this, but Shakespeare's words are expressions some still use to this very day. An example of an expression Shakespeare used that is used today is “break the ice.” This expression does not mean to literally break ice, but to get to know someone and get comfortable with them. No one needs to explain what that means because it is a common phrase, and that just shows how Shakespeare is still relevant
Differing contexts convey concerns in different ways through the use of diverse techniques. For example ‘Othello’ is a play which uses props, stage positioning and lighting compared to ‘O’ a film using camera angles, technology and music. This develops a sense of timelessness as issues relevant in the Elizabethan era still being relevant in our present day. Both texts are created due to the values of their era, allowing the
So, in conclusion, as you can see I have pretty strong feelings about Shakespeare and his plays. In the 21 st century, spending time with the confusion that is Shakespeare is about as useful as training doctors in the value of bleeding their patients as a means of correcting a problem with the four humours. By examining the great works of other cultures and religions we can learn about a major part of the world. Through the literature of many different parts of the world they're concerns will be understandable to us and we'll show our willingness to meet the rest of the world, not throw forts built of iambic pentameter with the occasional rhyming couplet to securely glue the walls together. If we ignore the future to sort of celebrate the western literary past we'll have a disaster of global
Geoffrey Sax’s modern-day appropriation of the Shakespeare’s 2001 Othello is a chariot which transcends time and updates the theme of appearance and reality and the power of language to give meaning to these themes in modern times. Iago’s deceptive nature and his “two faced” personality are the building blocks which shows us the difference between how the world looks and what happens behind the scenes. Both Geoffrey Sax and Andrew Davies have created a film with the ability to take Shakespeare’s ideas relevant in 1601 and allow them to be relevant in the modern age.
When pairs of texts are considered together, their universal themes and ideas lead to greater understanding, appreciation and insight of both the old and the new. The texts Othello, William Shakespeare (1600) and Othello, Geoffrey Sax (2001), ring true for this statement. Despite the differing contexts and ages, the universal themes of racism and betrayal bring new meaning to each of the texts. The primary meaning from the juxtaposition of the two is that of the human condition, and how the problems faced in the 17th century are faced in modern times.
Shakespeare is known for his use of recurring themes throughout his work, including love, death and betrayal. These themes are present in his work of Othello. However, the most fundamental issue is jealousy. The lives of the characthers in Othello are ruined by jealousy from the beginning to the end of the play. The telling of the story is carried out by passion, jealousy, and death. Shakespeare’s Othello reveals devastating tragic inevitability, stunning psychological depth, and compelling poetic depth; the fragility and mysterious power of love, as well as demons of doubt, and how suspicion can be triggered by manipulative villain (Barthelemy 12).
Actors are expected to rely on facial expressions and actions rather than dialogue to manipulate each other. The major mistake that the director has made is making the film into a typical American style movie. The language in the play is very colloquial using terms such as ‘mother fucker’. This in itself completely shatters Shakespeare’s artistic works. The modern spin on Othello has entirely removed the literary value that the play had simply through the language and word change.
“Othello” is a Shakespearian tragedy set in sixteenth century Venice during the Turkish and Venetian Wars. The story follows the powerful Moor of Venice, Othello, and his tragic moral, military and marital downfall due to the corruption instigated by his jealous ancient, Iago. Throughout the play, the themes of womanhood, appearance versus reality, as well as prejudice in identity are explored. Further, contemporary responders can extract individual meaning through applying the literary criticisms.
Only by considering a range of perspectives can we truly appreciate the world of Shakespeare’s Othello. It is through my exploration of these perspectives and their relationship with changing morals and values that has enriched my understanding of the play. One such reading of the play challenges the marginalisation and objectification of woman in a patriarchal Venetian society, while taking into account the changing role of women in modern society. Another interpretation of Othello examines its post colonial elements through the protagonist Othello, and his insecurities of being a black man in a white society. My interpretation of the play as a portrayal of the values existing in Shakespeare’s time is filtered through these
Around the turn of the century, he argues that Americans lost their love of and patience with oratory. At the same time, those who read Shakespeare’s plays began to insist that the Bard’s talent as a poet went unappreciated when his plays were performed alongside farces, juggling acts, and other popular forms of entertainment. Theatres began to perform Shakespeare’s plays less frequently, and isolated from the other acts that formerly accompanied them. Parodies and alterations of Shakespeare became less popular and even seen as blasphemy. Shakespeare’s works moved from the body of common cultural knowledge to the realm of high art worthy of study by the elite and educated, not crude enjoyment by the masses. This shift in conception of Shakespeare’s place in American culture did not happen suddenly and was not fully accepted, as evinced by the conflict between Mcready and Forrest and the subsequent riots as the masses defended the rights of the audience and the popular theatrical styles while the elite insisted that “discreet” audiences should be privileged to view the plays enacted with more decorum. Those who wished to divorce Shakespeare from popular culture appear to have won in the 20th century, as Shakespeare is now viewed as an artist to be admired and studied but whose works aren’t accessible to the population as a whole, and are certainly not to be compared with popular entertainment, despite their origins as such.
The Shakespearean tragedy Othello contains a number of themes; their relative importance and priority is debated by literary critics. In this essay let us examine the various themes and determine which are dominant and which subordinate.
Othello is one of the greatest plays due to its variety of character and themes. The immorality seen in Iago, the gullibility in Othello, and the desperation of Desdemona make the story. The theme of social status plays a huge role in the story. In addition, the theme of appearance versus reality also plays a huge role in how each tragedy happens. In the critical essay “Othello” it discusses the idea that the characters are cast as outsiders due to false interpretation of what is happening or what is being said. On the other hand, the piece “Othello Character Analysis” emphasizes how characterization reflects the greatness of the piece.