Iago

How successfully has Andrew Davies transformed William Shakespeare’s original text for a modern audience? In this essay I will explain how Andrew Davies’ film, Othello, 2001 released in 2001, is a successful transformation of William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello first performed in 1604. The play follows the events of the General Othello while outlining his…

In classical drama, plays followed the three unities of place, time and action. Each unity had its own set of specific rules. Othello follows these unities more closely than many of Shakespeare’s plays though the play does contain an interesting trick involving time. This “double time” as it has come to be called occurs when…

In William Shakespeare’s play “Othello” the use ofanimal imagery was evident throughout the telling ofthe story. Shakespeare explained several charactersactions by comparing them to similarities in animals. The characters in “Othello” were often depicted ashaving animal-like characteristics. Some characterswere even compared to animals by other characters inthe play. By defining characters in terms of thesecharacteristics…

The sad truth in society shines brightly in the play by William Shakespeare, Othello. The entire play is focused upon Iago, Othello’s ancient, who is out to destroy his general. Othello handed a promotion to Cassio rather than Iago, which leads Iago to seek revenge on them both. He convinces Othello that Cassio is sneaking…

Iago refuses to disclose his thoughts to Othello, saying “You cannot, if my heart were in your hand, Nor shall not, Whilst’tis in my custody” (Act 3, scene 3,168-169). Nevertheless, when pressed by Othello, Iago asserts that even if Othello possessed his heart physically, he would still refrain from revealing his secrets. This enhances Iago’s…

William Shakespeare is a poet and playwright, often considered the greatest writer in the English language and one of the best playwrights in the world. Often referred to as the national poet of England. The works that have come down to us, including some written jointly with other authors, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets,…

In this monologue Iago’s strategies are going a world and his tone is one of assurance as he continues to play the scoundrel and look to be honest. The thought of him playing a game is expressed in the words “I play the villain” . Besides the thought of “win the Moor” demoing guiltless his…

Othello  was  written  between  1602  and  1604.  It  was  performed  in  the  court  in  the  autumn  of  1604.  The  plot  was  borrowed  from  Geraldi  Cinthio’s  collection  of  tales  Hecatommithi  (1565).  Othello  is  probably  the  most  tragic  of  Shakespeare’s  tragic  plays,  even  more  so  than  Romeo  and  Juliet.  Othello  is  arguably  the  most  tragic  of  Shakespeare’s …

There are several characters that I consider to play a part in Othello’s downfall, one of which is Desdemona. If Othello’s fatal flat was jealousy, then it could be said that Desdemona’s was generosity. When Othello dismisses Cassio as his lieutenant, Desdemona, sensing the injustice assures Cassio she will do all that she can to…

Far more advanced for his time period, Shakespeare’s talent went unrecognized in the category of not just literature, but psychology as well. During the Elizabethan time period, it was unaware that a human could have psychological defects, let alone have characters who express these faults in a play. Shakespeare’s Othello was produced with two of…