Othello Research Paper

Considered by many to be Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, Othello’s influence on the arts is illustrated both by the frequency of its production and by its influence on many playwrights and directors over the years. Nearly 400 years have passed since the first production of Othello in 1604 and there hasn’t been much change in the way it has been produced as they all explore the deterioration of Othello due to one tragic flaw - jealousy, which is the major theme of the play. As many of Shakespeare’s works, the productions of Othello have been recontextualized in an attempt to make it more understandable to audiences of that time, often being produced in settings other than the original, offering a different interpretation of the play or allowing

The director recontexualized Othello to a rather rural setting where the political arena is dominated by the gangsters appointed by major political parties in India. Even though the settings differ by years and culture, Vishal Bhardwaj, managed to include the main elements of the story which includes the themes of revenge, deception, and love. The only obvious difference between the play and the movie is the characterization of Omkara (Othello.) In the play, Othello is the successful military leader of Venice while Omkara is a godfather type character of a political gangster killing off the rivals in a gang war. Some other differences include that cell phones are used where Shakespeare employed eavesdropping and a bejeweled cummerbund replaces the handkerchief as a symbol of fidelity. In the original play, Othello’s tragic flaw is his jealousy, which is a quality that Iago successfully exploits from him. Omkara stays true to this central theme and weaves its other conflicts around it, focusing on Omkara’s (Othello) and Tyagi’s (Iago) dynamic. Bhardwaj explored many contemporary issues in India such as political deceit, caste warfare, and violence against women, allowing it to relate to Indian audiences (Dionne). The film transforms the play into one that an Indian audience understand and relate to without removing the essence of Shakespeare’s play. The popularity of the film lies primarily in its poetic language, its music, cinematography and that it includes all the excitement a Bollywood film it can offer its audience. Even with the differences, it proves the universality of Shakespearean tragedy and that it can be played out in any setting no matter how different the context is. This adaptation of Othello is a tremendous one, as