transformation
...In the sense of characters, Tim Blake Nelson’s film O stands out more appealing to me due to the relationship we as the audience can develop with each character. Odin, being the captain of the high school basketball team and having a gorgeous white girlfriend, is easier to relate to than Othello, as Odin’s circumstances are more relevant to today’s society. When Othello was scripted in 1604, in the Elizabethan era, imagery was heavily incorporated into the language spoken. The dialogue of the play in Elizabethan times needed to include as much significant description as possible as a result of the lack of resources and sets available. Shakespeare could only make it possible for his audience to visualise what he was trying to state in his plays by including the imagery in his dialogue. [QUOTE: OTHELLO/IAGO] In contrast to Othello, the imagery in O has been altered from language into visuals. Throughout the film, the visual imagery of the doves and hawk portrays the sense of good vs evil. This can also be a representation of how Odin is being seen, the only black person in a school of white students and teachers. In O, the imagery has been taken out of the language and placed into the sets of each scene, varying from the costumes, backgrounds, lighting and camera shots. The doves represent peace and victimisation, and the hawk represents the hunter. So, in contradiction of Odin being represented by the hawk, the only coloured bird with white doves, is it actually Hugo who is the hawk? Shakespeare intended Othello to be seen as appearance vs reality which means that the truth is generally complicated and might not be what it first seems. The language used in Othello is blank verse in iambic pentameter. This is to place emphasis on the dignity of the character speaking, in contrast with the prose in which the less important characters and villains speak. Metaphors were used in Elizabethan language to describe the feelings of characters, whereas in O, modern day jargon and explicit language replaced the need for these metaphors. For example, Othello is described as ‘the moor’, whereas Odin is referred to as ‘nigga’. The need for descriptive dialogue in O became less as a lot of description was brought out through visual scenes. This also is more effective to me as a 21st century teenager, dealing with some of the same issues which are portrayed in O. The language is more acceptable and understandable than that of Othello. Soliloquies were a major part of Shakespeare’s dialogue and language. These soliloquies consisted of characters best kept secrets and thoughts. Iago had many soliloquies in Othello, which stated his bogus characteristics and true feelings of Othello-hatred. Hugo, however, had very few soliloquies in O. Instead of speaking to the audience about his feelings towards Othello, Iago’s soliloquies were transformed into conversation between Hugo and Roger. The medium of Othello is print. Shakespeare wrote Othello as a dramatic tragedy for performance in an Elizabethan theatrical e...