In two plays one being a classic, Othello by William Shakespeare and the other a modern play, Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar each end with a whack both emotionally and physically. The religion that both of the main characters in Othello and Disgraced were raised into have the most instrumental impact on the conclusion of the play’s plot line. Othello and Amir both struggle with fully letting go of the religion in which they were raised in, Othello, from Act 5, Scene 2 shows how Othello battles his new found religion with his old religion, whereas in Disgraced, it is in Scene 3 that we really start to see Amir's views on his past religion, both plays ending in a single act of violence that conclude the play.
In Act 5, Scene 2 in the play Othello we begin to really see the battle at which Othello is experiencing with his old Islamic religion and his new Christian religion. Christianity was the dominant religion in Othello although in a quote by Othello “Are we turned Turks? And to ourselves do that Which heaven hath forbid the Ottomites? For Christian shame, put by this barbarous brawl.” (2.3.161-163) we learn that Christianity was not, in fact, his first religion but rather he was Muslim and converted to Christianity. When Othello says the line “Have you prayed tonight, Desdemon?” (5.2. 26) we get the understanding that this line is coming from his new found religion. This is known because
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Jory: We?
Amir: Yeah… I guess I forgot...which we I was.
Jory: You’re an American…
Amir: It’s tribal, Jor. It is in the bones. You have no idea how I was brought up. You have to work real hard to root that shit out. (3.pg 62-63)
Amir starts by shedding a dark light on his past religion but very soon begins to praise the religion. He plays this sudden pride on the way in which he was raised. This piece of evidence directly states that Amir feels conflicted feelings towards his religion because of how he was raised and that it is embedded in
While Amir is a Sunni, his childhood friend Hassan is Shi’a, an inferior division of Islam. Simultaneously, Amir and Hassan belong to different ethnic groups-Amir is Pashtun while Hassan is Hazara. During his childhood, Amir would constantly mock Hassan’s illiteracy and poke fun at him. But, the pivotal demonstration of pressure from his surroundings that makes Amir commit his own act of cruelty is when he watches Assef rape Hassan for refusing to give him the kite that Hassan caught for Amir. To this, Amir describes the look of Hassan’s face to “a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb” (76). Throughout his upbringing, Amir constantly believed that his father blamed him for killing his mother in childbirth. To Amir, Hassan’s rape is a sacrifice that Hassan has to pay the price, the lamb to kill, in order to win his father over. To justify his refusal to intervene, Amir reminds himself that “[Hassan] was just a Hazara, wasn’t he?” (77). Amir’s surroundings cause him to have a negative outlook on people that his society deem lower. Amir knows he is morally wrong for not helping Hassan, but his need for his father’s love overpowers his friendship. Adding to his pressures, Amir believes that Baba prefers Hassan over him, a belief that further drives him to be cruel to Hassan. As a result, Amir’s motivation for validation and love from his father
Othello is the Cultural Other in Venetian society, and while he is very learned, it is probable that he is not fully aware of the social and cultural mores that govern Venice. As a Moor, Othello was reared outside Venice, and thus remains separate and exoticized. Although a great military man, and accepted by the elite of Venice, there is still a foreign-ness to him. The characters in the play, for the most part, call Othello "the Moor" (1. 1. 37, 1. 1. 161, 1. 2. 56). By calling Othello "the Moor," his proper name is taken away and he is left as an object. He is only accepted because of his military prowess, and seems to be used almost as a commodity; he is sent to Cyprus, with little warning--almost at the whim of the Duke. It is only because he is valuable to Venice that he is not punished for marrying the white Desdemona; Brabantio's anger is a clear indication that miscegenation is not an acceptable practice. Therefore, being a stranger to Venetian society, even a vague inkling that he is only a body used to fight may lead to insecurity that only exacerbates the deep-seeded, pre-existing ...
When Shakespeare composed the tragedy Othello televisions were not. Along with no televisions, life in the late 1500s had many different qualities than it does today. This time period had no war on drugs and no high school shootings. Peer pressure was not an issue. The audiences of Othello in the 1500s did not face the circumstances that we, American high school students, face today. With these significant differences in daily life, come the attempts of movie creators to help prevent our modern day tragedies.
Many older plays or movies are remade to appeal to a different age of people. These renditions often follow the same story line with only subtle differences to be more appealing. Many of Shakespeare’s plays have been made into movies to enhance the studying or understanding of his plays. An example of this would be Othello which has been created into a movie called “O”. Othello and “O” both follow the same story line. The similarities between them make "O" an excellent rendition of the play. Othello by William Shakespeare and “O” directed by Tim Nelson are very similar in many ways; however, they have distinct differences in their Protagonists. The heinous villain, Iago from Othello and the devious teenager, Hugo from “O” have many of the
Othello has been described as one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays because the play focuses on its themes of good and evil, military, politics, love and marriage, religion, racial prejudice, gender conflict, and sexuality; but the controversy and debate surrounding Othello is “Why is Othello a qualification for a tragedy?”
Othello: The Destruction of Honor In The Tragedy of Othello, William Shakespeare tells the tale of the “noble Moor” whose honor and innocence bring about his downfall. Shakespeare writes of the power of jealousy, and the art of masterful deception and trickery. The story primarily takes place in Cyprus, during a war between the people of Venice and the invading Turks. In this play Shakespeare shows the feelings of Othello’s embittered right-hand man of, Iago, who feels he is passed over for a promotion and swears his revenge. He proceeds to manipulate his friends, enemies, and family into doing his bidding without any of them ever realizing his ultimate goal.
Texts and their appropriations reflect the context and values of their times. Within Shakespeare’s Othello and Geoffrey Sax’s appropriation of Othello, the evolution of the attitudes held by Elizabethan audiences and those held by contemporary audiences can be seen through the context of the female coupled with the context of racism. The role of the female has developed from being submissive and “obedient” in the Elizabethan era to being independent and liberated within the contemporary setting. The racism of the first text is overtly xenophobic and natural, whilst the “moor” is unnatural whereas the updated context portrays Othello’s race as natural and racism as unnatural. Therefore these examples show how Shakespeare’s Othello, and it’s appropriation, Geoffrey sax’s Othello, reflect the context and values of their times.
Right from the opening scene, Othello presents an aura of evil and disloyalty. The play begin...
unbalanced if his wife can foresee her own death when they are still newly wed.
In Act three, Scene three, Desdemona agrees to speak to Othello in Cassio’s behalf) As Desdemona and Cassio discuss Cassio’s loss of rank and trust in Othello’s eyes. Iago brings to Othello’s attention the discussion taking place between Cassio and Desdemona. Iago knowing full well why the discussion is happening. Iago hints the pair seems to be spending a lot of time together. Iago plants the seed of doubt in Othello’s mind Othello begins to ponder the idea of whether Iago suspicions are true.
In the beginning of the play Othello exhibits behaviors leading one to believe that he is a patient, well spoken, and calm man, even when faced with uncomfortable and intimidating situations. In one of Othello’s first appearances he is about to be attacked and arrested for charges of witchcraft, but when armed men arrive to seize him, rather than fighting them he says “Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them” (I.ii.58). Saying this, he calms Brabanzio’s men and he agrees to have a hearing about the issue in front of the duke rather than fighting about it.
The Tragedy of Othello William Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, from the sixteenth century is an excellent example of Renaissance humanism. “A poet of unparalleled genius, Shakespeare emerged during the golden age of England under the rule of Elizabeth I.”(Fiero 3:98) He produced comedies, tragedies, romances and histories. According to Webster’s pocket dictionary, a tragedy is defined as a form of drama in which the protagonist comes to a disaster, as through a flaw in character, and in which the ending is usually marked by pity or sorrow. I would like to concentrate on the character Iago and the theme of deceit.
...conduct the night of the wedding feast. Othello is one who believes in justice and fairness and will make no exception, even for the love of his life. Ultimately, he murders her because he is, “One that loved not wisely but too well.” (V, ii, 398) This, above all, gives the play its powerful end.
In the play, Othello, and the short story, Dead Men’s Path, they both share similarities but also various differences. Othello, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare approximately around 1603, contains five acts in the entire play. Act I of Othello revolves around the main characters: Iago, Othello, Desdemona, Brabantio, and Roderigo. The conflict of interest is shown when Roderigo finds out that the girl whom he loves, Desdemona, has eloped to Othello. Iago is not pleased with Othello anyways. Iago and Roderigo team together to sabotage Othello for the various reasons they are angry with him. On the other hand, Dead Men’s Path is a 1953 short story, written by Chinua Achebe. The story revolves around one character in particular, Michael
In Othello by Shakespeare and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there happens to be a villain everybody loves to hate. In Othello there is Iago and in To Kill a Mockingbird there is Bob Ewell. Harm is insinuated by both men, but who is truly the most malevolent villain? Given these two manipulative characters, Iago is more of a villain.