HUMN 303N Week 4 Assignment: Essay – Play Analysis – Rent – Graded An A+

I chose to watch an original play and analyze an adaptation of a play. The play that I selected was “Othello”. I viewed the “Othello” film that was written in 1965 and the adaptation that was created in 2001. I was able to find both movies on YouTube from start to finished, and compare the two. The original Othello film that I viewed was created in 1965. In the original movie, Othello, who is a general, promotes and Cassio is selected as Othello's Lieutenant. Iago is an army officer who plots against Othello’s success. Roderigo and Iago tell Brabantio, who is an old Senator, that his daughter Desdemona is engaged to Othello., Brabentio then accuses Othello of abducting his daughter. Othello is ordered to defend Cyprus, of which he is Governor, against the Turks. It turns out that Iago with Desdemona, and seeks to destroy their relationship. Iago instigates a fight between Cassio and Montano and when Montano is seriously hurt, Iago convinces Othello to blame Cassio, who is eventually dismissed from duties. Iago then advises Cassio to seek Desdemona's assistance in regaining Othello's favor. Iago sets up Othello by causing Othello to find Desdemona with Cassio and placing Desdemona's handkerchief in Cassio’s possession. The setting is the early 2000s of London. In the adaptation, Sinclair Carver, who is a white police commissioner who promises to maintain law and order and further racial integration by recruiting and promoting black and Asian officers in his district. One day, he involves himself in a scandal by making racist remarks about black men to Ben Jago, who is the assistant commissioner. After the news is spread on the tabloids of London, Carver is thus forced to police causes racial unrest. Also, John Othello, who was the only authoritative black police officer in the department was promoted to be a black representative and he calmed riots by promising to solve the case. Because of this, he was appointed to succeed Carver, rather than Ben Jago. Ben Jago is immediately envious of John Othello and begins to plot revenge against him. Jago first puts Desdemona, Othello’s wife, in danger, then he falsely accuses her of cheating on him with an officer called Michael Cass. After the case takes a bad turn, Ben Jago manages to convince Othello that his wife slept twitch Cass, which causes him to fall into a frenzy, kill her, and kill himself. In the end, Ben Jago ends up becoming the superintendent. In both movies, both versions of Othello experience political and personal turmoil in the areas of their life that they care the most about. In the Original, Othello faced challenges when he is ordered to defend Cyprus against the Turks and his relationship with Desdemona. The two main differences between these two films are the time period and the language. Considering the distance between the time the two movies were created, the time might have influenced the change in the English language. I think that the story translates well into the adaption. I actually think that story works well in the adaptation because it was filmed in modern-day times. I think that there are many aspects of Shakespeare’s plays that allow them to be adapted so often. I think that one reason is the content of the plot in which Shakespeare portrays basic human emotions and illustrates the tragedies behind them. I think that both audiences and artists are influenced by the Shakesperean plots because they are so basic and common feelings that everyone has felt. References I dunno what to call this. (2014, July 4). William Shakespeare - Othello - U.K modern day adaptation [Video]. YouTube.