Relevance_of_Othello

shakespeare’s play Othello is a play that is still appreciated in modern society by contemporary audiences. The universal nature of the themes, issues and moral dealt with in the play and its medium are the main reason as to why Othello is still relevant to today’s society. Themes and ideas of love, jealousy, race and gender inequality, fidelity and manipulation are all still present in the stories we tell today. It is these themes that form the tragic story of Othello. Playwriting and scripts are methods of sharing and communicating a story that are still used today. Not only are plays still being written, but a modern adaptation of them has arisen; movies. Movies are incredibly popular in our modern society as plays were in Elizabethan England. The beauty of Shakespeare’s plays are that they may be adapted to film, so if a modern person did not want to go and see a play, they may instead watch the movie version of the famous play. Watching Humans acting and become a different character has always been admired by humans. So why shouldn’t the story of Othello be admired and appreciated by modern audiences, if it is a medium they are very familiar with and enjoy immensely' Jealousy is a major theme in the tragedy, and is key to the shaping of the story. Without Othello’s growing jealousy towards Desdemona’s fidelity, there would not be a story. If it were not for Othello’s jealousy he would not have wanted to kill her, and the tragedy would not exist. Jealousy is an emotion that humans from every century understand and have felt. It is then easy for them to be able to connect with the characters, and thus the story line. A man or woman being jealous of their partner is something that humans understand, and the fear and anger that can be added onto that felling of jealousy as well. Othello is not the only character to be jealous in the play; Iago is too. It is ironic that in the third act Iago tell Othello “O, beware, my Lord, of jealousy; / It is the green eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on.” As he is warning Othello of an emotion he feels to. He tells the audience in the first act that “[He] hates the Moor” as he believes him to be sleeping with his wife, it is obviously jealousy he feels towards Othello for sleeping with his wife. If the emotions felt by the characters are relatable, the story will feel more realistic, so the story will be more appreciated. Revenge is a strong theme in Othello too, and it ties along well with jealousy. What do you follow jealousy by' Revenge. The first character to plot his revenge is Iago, although his revenge is not stimulated by much, only an assumption that Othello is sleeping with his wife, and the anger he feels from not receiving the promotion he wanted. His revenge is mostly powered by his villainy something that humans find entertaining, watching a villain make their plan reality. Othello’s revenge, however, is also powered by an assumption, one that Iago plants in his mind. He too believes that his wife is sleeping with someone other than him; he believes she is sleeping with his friend Cassio. The only thought in Othello mind from then on is to get revenge on both his wife Desdemona and Cassio; his way of doing this is through their death. Although killing someone is a storing way to get revenge, it is again, an emotion that all humans have felt in their lives and something that they are able to understand and relate to. People do not usually kill the person they wish to get revenge from, but they do however create master plans like Iago to make the person feel as horrible as the person getting revenge felt. Knowing how a character feels is a great way to appreciate a story as it shows the audience that they are not the only people to have these problems, other people do too, and this makes them feel better about themselves. Shakespeare’s views in Othello about racial or gender rights and inequality are very modern. The views shown that he holds would not have been accepted in Elizabethan England. A white woman marring a black man would have been practically unheard of, unless they were people from a very low class. So to have a high society woman marry a black man was a very modern way of thinking. It is clearly seen that Shakespeare had differently opinions than the rest of society. Although most racial prejudice has disappeared today, we are still able to understand what the entire hubbub was about. The relevance of whether two people should be married to each other may be felt by modern people today by looking at how far society has changed, allowing people from any race to marry each other. The position of women in Othello is also a very contemporary view. Women in Shakespeare’s time where meant to keep quiet and obey their husbands, but Shakespeare created a character that did not obey these rules; Emilia. She is not the typically woman of the time, this is especially seen when she speaks to Emilia about men, and when she does not listen to Iago to let her opinion be heard. When speaking about men and husband Emilia says to Desdemona “But I do think it is their Husband’s fault if wives to fall” and “Lets husbands know that wives have sense like them.” These are strong words from a strong woman, letting her very feminine and delicate friends know what she thinks men are like, for a man to write these words, especially at this time is surprising. Shakespeare obviously had views that would not come until later on in time. When Emilia disobeys her husband Iago, her strength and opinions are seen intensely. She says “I will not charm my tongue; I am bound to speak… ‘Tis proper I obey him, but not now. Perchance Iago, I will ne’er go home.” She is completely disobeying her husband’s demand, something which was unheard of in earlier times. She doesn’t believe that proper manners and behaviour are important at that moment, and that she should be listened to be able to get a little justice for Desdemona’s death. A strong woman is something our modern society is familiar with, especially with the rise of feminist movements, allowing women more and more rights, to finally become practically equal with men. Through the universal morals and medium, Shakespeare is able to be appreciated by people from every time and every society. He uses themes, characters and emotions that humans in general are able to connect to and thus appreciate. It is unlikely that Shakespeare’s play will not be relatable in later years and so, his legacy and words will continue to be appreciated by generations to come.