Utopia

‘OTHELLO’: REPRESENTATION TASK My visual representation is based on the psyche of Othello. Through my representation I tried to capture Othello’s fatal flaw, which is jealously and gullibility. It is through Othello’s gullible nature that Iago is easily able to plant poisonous lies into Othello’s mind thus transforming him from a brave, virtuous and well-spoken man into a jealous, wild and uncontrolled beast. I have incorporated symbolism and hyperbole into my representation in order to convey the psyche of Othello. In my visual representation I have used a snake to symbolise Iago biting into Othello. Snakes are venomous, slithering and cold-blooded creatures that people are generally afraid of. Similarly, Iago is a heartless Machiavellian manipulator that has the skill to deceive others and destroy them through his deadly lies symbolised by the fangs of the snake. The snake symbolises Iago because it is through his bite of poisonous lies symbolised by the two red dots that he turns Othello completely toxic and vicious. “Why he hath thus ensnared my soul and body'” (V.II.299) Othello is ‘ensnared’ under the venom of Iago and as a result his primitive and unruly nature comes out and his fatal flaw is revealed. I have also used hyperbole to extend this idea further by using green in Othello’s eyes and the colour of the snake as a symbol for the horrifying character trait of jealously that is driven into Othello by Iago’s toxic persona. “It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock/The meat it feeds on” (III.III.168-169) Ironically, Othello puts a certain trust in Iago thus it is Othello’s very support that brings him down and corrupts his brain. This is how I used the symbol of a snake to represent the undeniable concern that it makes no sense to be jealous and shows a lack of control of Othello’s psyche as well as the human psyche. In my visual representation I have used the symbol of animal ears. In my view a wild animal symbolises savagery because they live a free and uncontrolled life. This represents the barbarous behaviour of Othello during his final moments after he is completely consumed with jealously. I have used hyperbole to extend this idea further by using the ears of an animal, as Othello’s own ears accompanied by a white head of fur placing Othello outside the human world. This symbolises the corruption of Othello’s psyche through the poisonous bite of Iago’s lies thus turning him into a wild beast. “That’s he that was Othello: here I am” (V.II.281) Othello protests that he is not what he appears to be; the outside and inside are two different things. He is completely consumed by jealously and is no longer a calm and cool officer but a savage beast. Othello now views himself as a danger to the Venetian society and accepts that he is and will always be an “other” excluded from the human world. This is how I used bestial imagery to represent the mind of Othello after he has been completely consumed by the poison of Iago and transformed into a beast. My visual representation is based on the psyche of Othello. Through my representation I emphasized Othello’s fatal flaw, which is jealously and gullibility. I used symbolism and hyperbole to represent Othello’s gullible nature. Iago is easily able to plant poisonous lies into Othello’s mind thus transforming him from a brave, calm and collected general into a jealous and wild beast.