Othello Prelim Essay

When the aspirational values of an individual become all-consuming, the relationships of those close to them be destroyed, through the corruption of loyalty and trust. Both Shakespeares Othello and Geoffrey Saxs Othello portray numerous 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 fatal flaw in an individual, and the disruption of the Chain of be, twain being key 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 pursuit, of the job of Othellos lieutenant eventually causes 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 destruction our aspirations crowd out cause.The di ssymmetry 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 position of Police Commissioner. Saxs Jago psychologically manipulates and abuses his victims, in contrast to the original play, where many are physically killed. Our modern audience expects this, however, because we, as well as Jago, realise that for him to achieve his goals, he has to be subtle in order to parry detection in our age of fingerprinting and DNA 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, rather than being captured. However, both induct very similar plans, revolving around manipulation, particularly Othellos mind and emotions. Othellos trust, thereby his loyalty, relies on his knowledge of the individual, particularly their past. In both texts, his slight uncertainty with his trust in Desdemona/Dessie is out-of-pocket to their warm marriage and lack of knowledge of their lives before he met them.In Shakespeares Othello, Desdemonas and Othellos sudden marriage, which finalises their relationship, is accentuated by Iago asking 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 silence 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 talking and me listeningThis frame is a close-up, everywherehead shot of Dessie, emphasising how vulnerable she is to Othello, and signal the circumstances of her death. Othellos distorted trust enables Iagos plan to succeed, because he puts his loyalties in the wrong hands. Sax portrays Ben Jago as a police officer, who we and als o Othello, expect to be comely 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 assigned the role of defend 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 want 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 power Othello has over Dessie, and makes the viewer empathetic towards her, by feeling lightheaded 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, especially when she says, He needs me. Similarly, Shakespeare characterises Desdemona as a dutiful wife, It was his bidding We must 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 worst thing that Desdemona could do to him, Shes like a liar gone to burning hell.All these midget aspects of Desdemona/Dessie and Othellos relationship, in both Shakespeares and Saxs Othello, combine to cause the destruction of it, upon which the whole play is hinged upon. The end of a relationshi p is caused by many varying factors, but broadly speaking a diminished sense of trust, whether it has a basis to be there, or whether someone values it so lowly that they put their own selfish desires over it.This is true in the case of Shakespeares Othello, and the modern adaption Othello, directed by Geoffrey Sax. Iago/Jagos aspirations cause him to manipulate many people, with the purpose of destroying Othellos relationships, mainly with Desdemona/Dessie, to achieve the position that was wrongly given up to someone else. This holds a mirror up to both the Elizabethan and our modern societies, critiquing our nature and values.