Comparing Themes Of Jealousy In Othello And O

When a Shakespearean play is transformed into a modern interpretation, it is important that certain aspects of the original, such as its concepts, themes and values are included in the new storyline. Tim Blake-Nelson’s film ‘O’ is a modern day adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy ‘Othello’. The playwright written in early 1600 revolves around the central themes of jealousy, manipulation and love which are explored through the use of literary techniques. In ‘O’ these themes are still evidently followed throughout the film, however the ways in which these are presented is through the use of various film techniques.
The theme of jealousy is recurrent in both texts and is a major influence on many of the character’s thoughts
In Shakespearean plays, soliloquys are used to allow a character to communicate their thoughts and motives to the audience whilst the other characters remain oblivious. In Othello, several soliloquys are made by Iago in which he speaks of his plans to ruin the ‘Moor’ and of his hatred towards him. The jealousy of Iago is revealed in his first soliloquy in which he explains that he is jealous of both Othello and his newly appointed lieutenant, Michael Cassio. He is envious and angry that he did not get this promotion and that Cassio, a man of less experience and skill, was chosen over him. The envy that Iago feels is identified when he says ”I hate the Moor…” The use of the derogatory term ‘Moor’, indicates hatred and disrespect toward Othello, and also informs us of his jealousy by which he reveals by degrading his. In ‘O’, the literary technique of a
This theme is can be most commonly seen in the character of Iago, or Hugo, as he is named in modern film. Iago is a complicated and deceitful character that, out of jealousy plots against Othello to diminish his status and ruin his life. William Shakespeare uses irony to indicate the deceptive ways of Iago by tactically referring to Iago as honest, which is repeated in much of the other character’s dialogue. This can be seen when Othello says “I know, Iago, thy love and honesty doth mince this matter…” When Iago is referred to as honest, is it extremely ironic because he is anything but- he lies to other characters in order to benefit himself and in this extract, he has done exactly this to manipulate Othello. In ‘O’, the theme of manipulation by deception is instead identified with the use of lighting techniques. In many of the scenes in which Hugo is filmed, half of his face is in shadow whilst the other is in light- this expresses his two-faced personality, and his ability to appear as a friend or confidant, when he is really utilising all of his manipulative skills to work against a