OTHELLO
Othello, the Moor of Venice
is a tragedy by William Shakespeare (around 1603).
‘Moor’ is a term referring to dark-skinned people
during the English Renaissance.
Othello is manipulated by ‘honest’ Lago
who control Othello
by playing on Othello’s weakness
and trapping him in an intricate net of lies.
Although Othello,
a Moorish general in the Venetian army,
a Moorish general in the Venetian army,
has achieved great heights in the white society;
his inferior complex - being a Black in a white society
reveals his deep sense of insecurity.
Eventually Othello is reduced from a great hero
to a man of insane rage
in which he accused Desdemona,
his white wife, of adultery
and finally kills her by smothering her in bed.
Later when he found out
that Desdemona is innocent
he commits suicide with a dagger.
There have been many differing views
on the character of Othello over the years.
They span from describing Othello as a hero
to describing him as an egotistical fool.
Question
Why is the genre of Othello difficult to define conclusively?
The realm of Othello is not the tragedy of great
kingdoms lost, nor of courtly politics. Instead of
the throne, it rivets our attention to the marriage bed.
Othello does not fit neatly into the conventions of tragedy
and modern productions stray from the tragic elements and
focus instead on social prejudices. Furthermore, actors’
personal portrayal of Othello could significantly influence
audience’s focus away from the tragedy to other aspects like
psychological and racist issues or even comedy. Plays and
novels have retold Othello in various forms. Ideas of tragedy
in Shakespeare’s time differ from those of France’s; the
French considered the comic sub-plots and wit duels in
Othello absurd. Contemporary notions of tragedy like
domestic tragedy (A Doll’s House, Top Girls) also differs
significantly from Shakespeare’s tragedy. Initially, Othello
seems to wedge in the crevice between the two oldest genres:
tragedy and comedy; and it eventually evolved into the
modern drama of different genres.
According to the Aristotelian tragedy: tragedy depicts the
downfall of a great man in the a surprising reversal of fortune,
through some great flaws in his character; resulting in the
suffering and insight of the protagonist and arousing pity and
fear of the audience. However, Othello did not gain significant
insight from his fatal mistake (he even claimed in his last
speech that he is ‘not easily jealous but, being wrought’
(V.2.341) and the complexity of the situation (his inferiority,
his insecurities of being an outsider other than Iago’s
manipulation). Audience too may feel indignant at his refusal to
give Desdemona a chance to defend herself; and even in his last
speech, Othello is clearly more concerned inwith presenting his
public image gallantly: pleading to be remembered for his heroic
contribution. If the audience could not feel sympathy for the
protagonist himself, this could reduce the impact of Othello’s
tragedy. Without the significant insight (tragic self-discovery),
and without the absolute pity for his fatal act, the elements of
tragedy seems incomplete. Even within Shakespearean tragedies,
Othello seems to differ from the usual structure in which death
and destruction are inevitable (Hamlet, King Lear), in Othello,
the preventable death and destruction would render its tragedy
questionable.
Some fundamentals of comedy seem significantly evident in
Othello. Elizabethan Tragedies, as a rule, occur on the
battlefield or in great public halls whereas comedy setting
is usually in the bedroom. The tragedy of Othello is unusually
set in the private bedroom, making it like a domestic quarrel.
Shakespearean comic heroes are frequently from disadvantaged
backgrounds, who display some personal charm or worth of
character. They had to prove their real worth to gain
audience’s endorsement. A comedy, in essence, is the rise in
the fortune of a sympathetic protagonist. Othello, the
protagonist, being a Moor is from a disadvantaged background.
He displays his real worth as a noble warrior and he has
proved his ‘worth’ through his successes in wars and even
gained favourable comments from other characters, including
Iago himself. The sub-genre of comedy- the Satirical Comedy,
is a satire of human vice and idiocy. The protagonist here is
likely to be foolish, cynical or morally corrupt. Othello is
foolish in believing Iago without taking time to investigate
the truth and he is cynical in his treatment of Desdemona and
Othello is certainly morally corrupted by Iago, he is being
reduced to Iago’s base values quote a line from the text
to show he is morally corrupted by Iago.
Hence, Othello appears to be a tragedy build on a comic
structure. The Tragicomedy, emerged from Italy in the 16th
century combines elements of tragedy and comedy. Tragicomedy
created a new fashion of dramatic ‘romances’ that turned into
threatening situations through surprising reversal of fortune.
The romance of Othello and Desdemona has certainly turned into
a threatening situation where eventually there was a reversal
of fortune for Othello. The Latin word tragicocomoedia also
denote a play in which masters and slaves reverse the roles
traditionally assigned to them. We can see how the roles of
Othello and Iago being reversed where Othello under the spell
of Iago’s manipulation gradually reduced himself to almost a
slave of Iago, playing puppet to Iago’s lethal plot. Here,
the more precise genre for Othello would be the tragicomedy
rather then tragedy.
Additionally, different production presents different
interpretation that could affect how one defines the genre
of Othello. In France, the play ended with Brabantio and the
Doge arriving in time to stop the fatal act. This happy ending
weaken the tragic plot. Wilson Milam’s 2007 production of
Othello at The Globe presents an evident blend of comedy and
melodrama. Tim Mclnnerny, playing Iago throws plenty of
sideways glances and grins to the audience and even the fatal
fight between Cassio and Roderigo is assaulted for laughs like
blind men fighting with swords.(http://shakespeareantheatre/.
suite101.com /article. cfm/othello_at_the_globe). Here the
play strays even further from tragedy.
Productions and performances are gradually diverting from the
tragic aspect, to highlighting other glaring significance of
the play: racial, cultural, sexual and gender stereotyping.
Othello could be presented as a play that serves useful social
function. It could be seen as a potent parable for showing
irrational jealousy leading to fatal actions or a subversive
play for featuring stereotypical ideas and social prejudices
regarding race and mixed-race marriage. Othello is subjected
to infinite reinventions. In Alaska, an Aleut man rises within
the Imperial Russian navy and marries Desdemona, his new
Russian bride. 'Island native’ a Russian soldier spits and
warns the woman’s father ‘ You’ll have your daughter stolen,
wrapped in an Indian blanket and sealed in an ice house.’
(http://www.adn.com/life/ story/303342.html).
This version focuses more on the bitter tale of racism. In
African American director Liz White’s all- black cast, the
prejudice here is not between blacks and whites. The ethnic
contrast is constructed differently with those lighter in
skin colour playing the Venetians. Religious difference,
shade of skin or ethnic origin here produce a subtler
‘outsider’ status. This diminishes the severe black and white
conflicts of the play thus even further lessen the intensity
of the tragedy especially when audience are predominantly
white.
Productions are increasingly adapting modern version of
Othello and positioning audience’s focus to contemporary
ideas on racism and away from the tragic focus. The actor’s
portrayal of Othello will also influence audience’s
interpretation of the play. There is no single way to play
Othello, it spans from playing Othello as a romantic or an
egotistical fool to a lascivious creature of insanity.Edmund
Kean portrays a heart-wrenching intensity of grief and
jealousy that led romantic Othello into his fatal act. This
will stirred the audience’s sympathy making it tragic.
Conversely, Laurence Olivier's impersonation performance of
Othello: his very dark make-up, his lowered voice and his
rolling walk, he enters dressed in white, sensuously toying
with a rose, presents the Moor as smugly superior, greatly
proud and evidently ‘lascivious'.(http://dsc.dixie.edu/
shakespeare/othelloess.htm. Audience might be in awe of
this Moor but maybe less sympathetic at his tragic end.
Billy Eugene Jones acts like a young and raw Othello who
goes from a loving husband to a raging inferno. He sputters
and storms and jerks around like a helpless puppet.
Audience will find this performance greatly disturbing focusing
on his psychological insanity rather than the tragedy.
(http://www.talkinbroadway.com /regional/sanfran/s653.html).
Salvani, an Italian actor performed Othello with intense fiery,
passionate rage and quick suspicion. His senses seem to riot
over Desdemona as he consumes her with his gaze;
a complete absence of affection. Audience will hate Salvini’s
Moor and feel impatient for his death as if a mad dog was let
loose in the streets. The actors themselves do have their own
interpretation of Othello and the audience will react differently
to the different Moors,and if without sympathy for Othello,
audience will interpret the play’s genre differently.
The social environment where the audience lives in and the
skin colour of the actor and the audience will bring further
focus to the racist significance and away from the tragic
focus. A performance in a high school where the audience are
of very mixed-race and –religion will not have the same
meaning as the same production performed in a pub with
exclusively white audience. A white Othello ‘blacked-up’
will have less impact with the black audience or in a Muslim
country. Each society has different social and racial issues
and the play may lose some of its frictions. Alternatively,
to replace the black outsider with a white man in a black
society will encourage a broader view of the fundamentals of
racism. In reversing the situation it will trigger instant
patronizing reaction and feelings of fear, suspicion for the
white audience.
Othello has evolved from a tragedy to a racist question
of black and white relations. The world is not free of skin
colour prejudice. Othello is defined by his culture as well
as his colour. Modern DNA analysis has found African genes
brought into Britain with the Romans, happily bouncing around
in the gene pool of British Isles ever since. Perhaps future
versions might focus on the character itself rather than
endorsing or satirising racist convention. Producing and
playing Othello has become a way of engaging with disputes
about race and prejudices in society from the genres
of tragicomedy, social realism, psychological realism to
political satire instead of sheer tragedy.
(1524 words)
Bibliography:
Owens W.R., Goodman Lizbeth. Shakespeare. Aphra Behn and the
Canon, The Open University, 1996.
Jem Bloomfield, Othello at the Globe in Shakespearean
performances. Retrieved 22 September. http://shakespeareantheatre.suite101.com/article.cfm/othello
_at_the_globe
Introduction to Greek tragedy. Retrieved 22 September 2008
http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/netshots/tragedy.htm
Tragedy or Comedy? Dramatic Genres. Retrieved 22 September
2008. http://www.northern.edu/wild/th100/chapt7.htm
A Tragedy Built on a Comic Structure Barbara Heliodora C.
de Mendonça. Retrieved 22 September 2008 http://cco.cambridge.org/extract?id=ccol0521072859
_CCOL0521072859A003
An 'Othello' for Alaska Making tragic hero an Aleut fits
neatly with Shakespeare's lines by Sarah Henning.
Retrieved 22 September 2008.
http://www.adn.com/life/ story/303342.html
http://dsc. dixie.edu/shakespeare/othelloess.htm
Retrieved 22 September 2008
http://www.talkinbroadway.com /regional/sanfran/ s653.html
Retrieved 22 September 2008
Marks: 82
Tutor Comment:
Dear Cheryl
This is a very well-researched and intelligent piece
with several valid arguments for different interpretation
of the genre of Othello. You have also discussed well the
part of the question on how different performances and
productions might affect the tragic element of Othello,
with many interesting examples cited.
I am giving a few extra marks in recognition of the
originality of your discussion, something over and above
what have been said in the lecture and covered in the
coursebook.
Excellent work.
Souk Yee
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