Essay: Original ‘Othello’ / Sport for Jove production / Film, ‘O’ (2001)

Society is ever-changing and our view of the world around us is constantly forming. Since Shakespeare wrote, ‘Othello’, society’s views have changed, and the interpretation of texts change along with it. Each individual’s perspective on the ideas presented in a text shift with cultural conditions in our ever-changing world. The original script of ‘Othello’ was written by William Shakespeare and first performed in 1604. The Sport for Jove production of ‘Othello’, directed by Damien Ryan, was performed for a contemporary Australian audience. The 2001 American film, ‘O’, was directed by Tim Blake Nelson. Each interpretation is characteristic of its own context and showcases the director’s interpretations of the original script. The focus of each adaptation has changed from the interrelationships of jealousy between Iago, Othello and the characters to focus on different things as the director’s showcase their own interpretations of the script. The directors’ use of the ideas of setting, the characterisation of woman and the depiction of the racial and xenophobic divides show how interpretations of Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ have shifted with the time and place since the play was first performed.
The setting of each appropriation is representative of the context. The Shakespearian play was set in Venice and Cyprus, during the Ottoman-Venetian Wars of 1570-1573. The religious wars were fought between the Christian Venice and the Muslim Ottoman Empire. This setting is shown to an audience in Jacobean England. The setting of Cyprus itself is shown to be unsafe and a place where religious tension surface. Othello describes Cyprus as “a town of war, / Yet wild, the people’s hearts full of fear.” Shakespeare uses the plot device of the war to incite the action of the play and foreshadow the disaster that is about to unfold. The tensions experienced by the characters shown by the metaphor, “hearts brimful of fear” are shared by the audience. A Jacobean audience would have been aware of the religious tensions that were being experienced throughout Europe and the Middle East of the time. The setting of the original script is indicative of the context in which it was first performed.
The Sport for Jove production appropriated the original script in order to demonstrate a more contempary setting of ‘Othello’. Ryan keeps the main ideas of the setting from Shakespeare but interpreted the play to be set during contempary warfare. He altered to plot to allow for a continued subplot. This is used to further incite the action. Ryan uses an air raid scene to demonstrate this tension. This scene rapidly increases the sense of urgency felt by audience. The mise en scene during this scene is used to demonstrate the context. The costume design of the characters are modern military camouflage fatigues. This is used by Ryan to show the setting is still a war between Turkey and Venice but subverts the script to place it into a 21st Century timeline. The use of the rubble as a prop is used by the director as an allusion to the current conflict in the Middle East, as the play is set in this area. This takes the focus away from the characters and places more importance on the messages being put forward. These techniques are used by the director to create a connection between a modern audience and what is occurring on stage.
‘O’ is set on the American high school basketball courts during the last 1990s. This setting makes it more appropriate for an adolescent audience as it changes Shakespeare’s original setting. It allows for the contrast between the supposed innocence of young people and the activities that they undertake. The director portrays the ease of access that adolescents have to illicit drugs, alcohol and guns. The time of publication was filled with controversy due to the analogies to school-related violence, especially after the Columbine School Shooting. The final scene is used to create a parallelism between the events in the movie and the real-world occurrences just years before. The only sound is the non-diegetic sound of the music. This is used in conjunction with long, panning shots to show the extent of the devastation that was caused. It also brings to light the senselessness of it all. The audience is shocked with the final scene, with body bags being carried away in ambulances and Hugo in a police car. This scene mirrors the media broadcast of the aftermath of the Columbine Shooting. It leaves the audience questioning what motives Hugo had and leaves the same sense of grief and pity as was felt after the shooting. This sense of parallelism is used to engage an audience with the issues being experienced in America during that time. These ideas are completely new to ‘Othello’, as the appropriation changes the focus into something that is more characteristic of the context. The director rejects Shakespeare’s setting but uses the change in setting to show the senselessness of school-related violence, consistent with the context. The setting of each adaptation is an overarching representation of the director’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s original script.
The characterisation of women in each interpretation changes with the shifting time periods. Only three female characters were shown in ‘Othello’: Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca. These female characters are only depicted as an extension of their husband. They, themselves, are not given importance by Shakespeare. Bianca’s character illustrates the overarching views of women in Elizabethan and Jacobean society. She is portrayed as lower class, juxtaposed against the nobility of the other characters. She is ridiculed by the other characters, being called, “fitchew”, “whore” and “notable strumpet”. Iago, who only uses her to advance his own plot, says of her, “It is a creature / That dotes on Cassio; as ‘tis strumpet’s plague / To beguile many.” This description is used as the basis of Bianca’s character. The metaphor, “It is a creature” is used to show the views of women during the Elizabethan era. Iago uses the pronoun “it” instead of “she” to show that he doesn’t regard her as a person. He strips women of human qualities by calling her a creature. The use of this metaphor is used to show the misogynistic ideas of women of the time and is consistent with the way Jacobean society regarded women.
In the film, ‘O’, the role of women matches the context. The character of Brandy, indicative of Bianca, is treated similarly to Bianca in Shakespeare’s script. She is called “slut” by Big Mike, similarly to how Cassio describes Bianca as “a bauble”, meaning a toy or plaything. Nelson accepts Shakespeare’s idea of lower-class women. However, in this adaptation, Dessie, the appropriation of Desdemona, is more willing to speak up for herself than in Shakespeare’s script. She is depicted as a strong character who is willing to voice her opinion. She says to Odin, “…if you want to be with me, don’t ever talk to me like that again, ever.” The use of this quote shows the strength of which Dessie is capable. During this interaction, the director uses mid eye-level shots to show they are equals. However, as Odin’s jealousy increases, Dessie becomes increasingly powerless. This is shown through the use of high camera angles framing Dessie and low angles framing Odin during their interactions. The use of these angles indicates a shift in the power of their relationship and is used to show the fearfulness and submissiveness of women suffering from domestic abuse. The use of the characterisation of women shows the ideas regarding women of America during the time period.
In the Sport for Jove production, the role of women is more suitable for a modern audience. The character of Bianca, originally described as a prostitute, was given more of a backstory. The use of her song gave the audience her backstory. The use of this backstory gives Bianca a more important role in the play. She is shown as a strong female character as opposed to the weak and promiscuous Shakespearian Bianca. The costume design is also used to show this. Her shirt has the typography, “The Future is Female”, a slogan for modern feminism. Emilia is also characterised as a strong independent character. Rather than just being a submissive servant to Desdemona, she is portrayed as a soldier through the design of her costume, the same as Iago and Othello. This creates a sense of equality between men and women, one that is expected of a modern context. Despite this, the director still illustrates the role of domestic violence in a modern context. The shocking scenes of Othello striking Desdemona are used to highlight how the problems of domestic violence are still prevalent in today’s society and creates a juxtaposition between the strength and submissiveness of women. A Jacobean audience would have found such scenes typical of society, but the audience’s reaction is able to show how domestic violence, yet still prevalent, is considered shocking. The role of women in the Sport for Jove play has changed the original script to emulate modern societal values. The role of women in each interpretation is indicative of the time in which it is presented and shows how societies interpretations can shift and change.
The depiction of the racial divides change with the context in which it is performed. During the Jacobean context, racism was embedded in society and considered the norm, thus, is not surprising that the play contains undertones of racism throughout. In the script, Othello is described as an outsider, being of African or Islamic descent. Shakespeare doesn’t focus on the theme of race but uses it as a device to create a contrast between Othello and the characters from Venice and Florence. The action of the play is incited by the interrace marriage of Othello and Desdemona. Brabantio describes it saying, “To fall in love with what she feared to look on? / It is a judgement so maimed and imperfect / that will confess perfection so could err / Against all rules of nature.” This is used to show the overarching view of foreigners. It was commonly thought that interrace marriages were taboo and that even Desdemona was taught to hate those who are different. The use of the metaphor “rules of nature”, highlights the belief that marrying someone who is different was considered completely unnatural and undefendable. This shows to the reader these views were common during the Jacobean context about people who were not white. This depiction of the racial divide is consistent with the ideals shared by a Jacobean audience.
In the film, ‘O’, racism is depicted in a context still relevant to the early 21st Century. There is still an obvious divide between Odin and the other students. Hugo is also able to take advantage of this to further his plans. The accusation that Odin raped Dessie was founded only on Odin’s skin colour. This is used by the director to bring light to systematic, democratic and judicial prejudice against black people, especially in America, during the early 2000s. The basketball game is used to highlight Odin’s alienation. The away team is comprised of only African American players and Odin is the only person of colour in his team. This contrast is used to show that Odin is the outsider; he doesn’t belong. Coach Duke says, “He’s all alone here. There’s not even another black student in this whole damn place.” The emotive language used makes the reader feel sorry for Odin and provides further motive for his actions. The director uses this to underline the fact that racism is still dominant in American society.