Wednesday, November 19, 2008
A More Identifiable Othello
I was watching the modern version of Othello yesterday (aka “O” with Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles and Josh Hartnett) and I found it very surprising how well they incorporated the play into this movie. Going into it, I thought the movie would be a modern version VERY loosely based on the play. I don’t know if any of you have seen the movie before, but I definitely recommend it. The reason I liked it so much is because I was able to find constant parallels with the movie and the play and it helped make the characters seem more real. The parallels included an interpretation of Shakespeare’s speech which was quite similar to language that we would use every day. Because this play has a very intricate plot line (which sometimes I found was hard to follow) it was nice to be able to see it unravel in something more easily identifiable. The other aspect which I appreciated was being able to see how the characters act in a time of our own (something more like reality). I often find it very hard to relate to the Shakespeare characters sometimes simply because I have a pre-set notion that it happened such a long time ago, which can create quite a barrier. I thought this version was very refreshing, and even though I saw it when it first came out, watching it right after reading the play again pretty fun. A lot more parallels jumped out at me than I would have thought.
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3 comments:
I felt the same way when I watched O. I saw the movie a long time ago, but I remember feeling very connected to the characters in a way that is sometimes hard to do in other adaptations of Shakepeare’s work. With Othello, I have trouble believing the story. It seems ridiculous to me that a man would murder his wife based on the suspicion of an affair. I know this sort of thing happens in real life, but the drama is never centered on a handkerchief and a man who has no business casting aspersions against another man’s wife. Watching O, however, the drama feels very realistic. The violent scenes between Mekhi Phifer and Julia Stiles are believable and shocking. It was the first time that I didn’t find anything ridiculous about this concept. Seeing this adaptation can certainly put things into perspective if you find the play difficult to believe or relate to.
I think that it its very important for our generation to understand Shakespeare, not only in the context as he used it, but also in today’s society. I have not seen the movie “O” in a while, but I saw it after the first time I read Othello in high school. I remember even then that it clarified a lot in the book to see something that was a little more relatable. In today’s world, we clearly do not speak as they did in the days of Shakespeare so the meanings are often lost on us. Although we may not completely understand what Shakespeare is trying to say, we interpret it in our own way. It is much easier to make a valid interpretation if we are able to see it in a relatable way. There are some very good modern film adaptations of Shakespeare’s works, and I would recommend watching any of them after reading the books. It seems to be very helpful in understanding what is going on.
Personally, I find Othello to be one of the most identifiable of all of Shakespeare's characters, so I was glad to read that others found the interpretation of him in O was more clear. I believe there is a bit of Othello in all of us. While for many of us, there isn't the clear visual difference amongst us, we have all at some point felt out of place. Many of us have been jealous of someone or something sometime in our lives, and we have all been taken advantage of. While it is probably not to the same dramatic effect that it is in Othello, at-least I hope not, Othello's flaws appear more real to me than any of the other characters. In O these flaws were made apparent in a setting we can all relate to-high school. While the modern adaptations tend be loosely rely on the text, driving the staunch Shakespeare critics and readers crazy, they present Shakespeare's stories and characters in a more understandable way.
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