Performance affects the written text. The way characters chose to say certain lines, how they chose to act, and their body language affects what words mean. For example, saying “I love you” can mean two different things, whether said sarcastically or passionately.
Answer one or both: a) Find a line or two in the play that you think can have two meanings, depending on how the character chooses to act out the lines. b) Find an example from the film that made you rethink about the meaning of a line or two because of how it was acted out on the screen.
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The movie did a very good job of showing what the characters were really meaning to say. In the play when Iago was telling Othello about Desdemona and her cheating on him with Cassio, I thought he was being sincere. It seemed like he was feeling bad about the situation and was trying to make Othello truely not be jealous. I thought that he was showing a part of his good side adn was being loyal to his lord, Othello. He sounded like he was thinking about the plan that he made. I thought that he finally realized how sinister and mean the plan really was, and that he was trying to undo it.
However, when we watched the movie, I realized that Iago was minipulating Othello. He was trying to make him jealous by sayinig not to be jealous. He seemed sincere, and wanted to look like the innocent person while doing this, but he was the evil one. That was not an act of kindness, but another piece added to his evil plan. He was breaking Desdemona and Othello up. By doing this, he makes Othello and the whole city defenceless, a perfect time for Iago to step in as general.
The movie cleared a lot of things up that I didn't understand in the play. It helped me realize what was really going on and what the themes and plots were. Also it slowly gets me used to the language that Shakespear uses. I take what I know about the play from the movie, and when I read it, I can make parallels between what is happening and how the text is saying it.
Unlike Michelle, when Iago was telling Othello about the affair, I thought he was being cruel and almost taunting Othello. It seemed that he was ranting on and on about what Cassio says in his sleep and how he found the handkerchif in Cassio's possesion. It truly seemed to me that Iago enjoyed watching Othello's depression. However, when we watched the movie and Iago and Othello were in the armory putting their gear away, it seemed to me that Iago was being kind and not wanting to destroy Othello's high spirits. It seemed like Iago did not want to inform Othello of his suspicions and even denies Othello's pleas to tell him what was on his mind. It was a complete shockto me how the actor played his role instead of what it seemed to me in the text
Watching something get acted out can have an entirely different impact on someone than if they were to read the same thing. In the performance of Othello, the person who played Iago made some important decisions in the way he portrayed him that made Iago seem different than a reader might have interpreted. For instance when Iago talks to the audience in the play, detailing his plan to destroy Cassio, I thought he just wanted to become lieutenant really badly. However, the movie gave me an entirely different impression. The way Iago nearly hissed as he talked, and the added effect of grabbing the burning hot log made Iago seem crazy. It was because of that that I realized Iago might be destroying people purely for the fun of it.
The movie also changed some of my impressions of Othello. In the play Othello seemed very collected up until late act 3. However in the movie, Othello's actor added in subtle, yet effective techniques to make it seem like Othello was starting to go insane with jealousy and anger. Simple things like Othello continuously twitching his hand adds to the story in way the play simply can not do while being read.
I agree with EYanowitz on the fact that the impact is different from text to video. I also agree with what was said on Othello's display of emotion as the third act started and he slowly went mad with jealousy and rage.
However, I wanted to make another point on Iago's performance. I believe the best parts are when he gives a look to the camera saying that we should know better than the foolish characters that fall into his trap. He is showing us that people can be tricked easily and we should know where our heart lies and doubt everything. I have come to believe he is a psychopathic man who is doing this because he can, but also because he wants to prove a point. He wants us to realize the danger we put ourselves in by using assumption and rumor to base out beliefs and those few times he speaks or simply looks to the audience help in my belief of that. by watching the video, the grasp of a character is always greatly improved.
In Scene 3, Act 3, when Iago is feeding Othello lies, Othello says, "Not a jot, not a jot" (3.3.214). Iago had just talked about Desdemona "deceiv[ing] he father" and how she could do the same to Othello, then pretends to care about Othello's feeling and asks him if he is all right (3.3.206). Othello's line could have been accompanied by laughter, suggesting that he doesn't believe in Desdemona's treachery, or it could have been said with great force, as if the wound Iago had inflicted was deeper and more powerful than a jot. The two different ways this could have been portrayed by an actor could have a profound effect on the movie, and bring in the actor's own idea of how Othello believes in Desdemona's betrayal.
After watching the movie Othello, certain elements impacted my understanding on the play. One of the occurrences in the play was when Othello was angrily yelling at Iago for planting doubt of his wife in his mind. During the actual reading of the play, I didn't completely understand the extreme anger and torment Othello was experiencing. But, when I witnessed Othello physically choking Iago, I was able to understand how much this accusation was tearing Othello up. This violent act also gave me more insight on how strongly Othello felt in his love towards Desdemona.
Another element that the movie was able to enhance was Iago's manipulative ways. The addition of the chess pieces was able to really portray how how controlling Iago is. This helped me understand the evilness of Iago. It also showed how race was influential during the time period since Iago only uses a black chess piece for the Moor, Othello.
Michelle and Evan both certainly make an excellent point, however; in the play, when Iago talks to Othello about Cassio and Desdemona, he comes off as a guy trying to help Othello. He starts by saying a thought has been bothering him. And while Othello is trying to get the thought out of him, Iago says that it really isn't his business to share. So it really looks as if Iago is scared to tell Othello, but actually does want to help him and be nice about the whole situation.
On the other hand, in the film, you really start to see how Iago is manipulating Othello. At first, Iago does just what he does in the play, and acts all "sincere" about the situation. But then you can see how he really is setting up this whole thing, by the way he says everything and his body language. You really get to see his whole plan. He brings the idea of the "affair" up, then once Othello starts to ask questions and get suspicious about what Iago is not telling him, Iago tries to hide it and cover it up by telling him to not worry about it. Then when Othello makes him speak, Iago says everything to try to make Othello jealous, just as Michelle says. Iago wants to make him jealous by telling him not to be jealous.
However, either way, Iago is still trying to convince Othello about "the truth" Desdemona and Cassio.
In act 3, scene 4, and all of page 78, i didn't understand how angry Othello was about the lost handkerchief until i saw the film. i knew he was mad, but i couldn't tell he was as furious as the play made him out to be. i had to rethink the way this line was said because i though he was being patient with Desdemona. The film clarified to me Othello's anger, and made this section of the play particularly important. Also, on line 90, Othello says, "Fetch me the handkerchief! My mind misgives." this made me think that Othello wanted to be with Desdemona, but knew Iago was right.
After Othello hits Desdemona, the line that she says is "I have not deserved this" and then later "I will not stay to offend you" (4.1.241-248). From just the line alone, it seems as if Desdemona does not have any emotion while saying these line. However, in the movie, Desdemona is crying and saying her lines with intense emotion that added alot to the scene.
Also, the movie did a good job of showing Iago's true intentions with him playing with the chess pieces. By putting a white knight between a black king and white queen, it showed exactly his plan without having to say it.
There are many examples in Othello where the text can have to different meanings depending on how it is performed by the character. There were a few examples of lines that Roderigo said in the play that were performed differently than I had imagined. At one part when Roderigo sneaks up on Iago he says, "I do not find that thou deal'st justly with me" (4.2.101). While reading this and the lines after it I thought Roderigo was just simply talking out these lines, but in the film he was yelling at Iago and he seemed very angry which made the lines more powerful and gave them more meaning which I wouldn't have realized from just reading it.
People can interpret things very differently because of the way someone says it. In a book this happens a lot, you don't know whether the person is happy or sad saying something. When someone sees the movie and notices that specific line they understand what the character is supposed to feel like. For example, Iago is talking to Othello about Desdemona and Cassio and says," Look to your wife; observe her well with Cassio; wear eyes thus: not jealous nor secure"(3.3.197-198). When I read this quote Iago seemed as if he was really trying to help Othello, obviously he was doing this on purpose but just by saying that Othello started getting jealous. If someone just read this quote without knowing what Iago was like they would of thought that he was trying to help Othello. On the other hand, if someone just watched this part in the film that would already know how bad Iago was looking at his actions. The way he looked happy to see Othello jealous and how he was excited to find out hat Othello believed him. Sometimes it's good to read the play and watch the film so you can have a better picture of what is going on in the play.
A line that was said in the film that we watched during class made me rethink the about the meaning of it. I got a different interpretation from when I read it than the actors did when they performed it. The line is during which Othello is explaining the importance of the handkerchief to Desdemona. He says the handkerchief, "Did an Egyptian give to [his] mother," (3.4.56.). This whole line extends for quite a while, however I was very surprised by the actors delivery with the line. If I was the person portraying Othello, this line explaining the possession would have been a lot harsher, to really scare Desdemona. Othello in the movie delivered this line very calm. This changed the meaning and understanding for me a lot. Now I think that the line is more of giving Desdemona one last chance. It really changed my view in that specific line.
In films, the way that lines are performed can change the way the plot or the way the character's emotions are understood. When your reading lines from a book you might hear them in your head differently than how the film acts it out. For example, as I read I could easily understand that Othello was changing as he became more and more jealous of Cassio as he was following for Iago's trick, but the film makes it alot more dramatic. The way that Othello's character expresses his lines with anger you can see more of a change in him than you could by just reading the plan. You also get to see more of his body language towards Desdemona. In the book you could read the lines he spoke to her and be able to tell that he continues to get more and more rude to her but the film makes it even clearer. By the time that Othello is fully convinced by Iago you can just tell by the look on Othello's face that he wants to hurt Desdemona.
The part in the movie and play where Othello hides as Iago talks to Cassio about Desdemona got me very confused. I was not sure what was going on in the play. I thought Shakespeare had Othello in a room alone, imagining what Iago was saying and having Othello respond out loud. That did not make much sense to me at all until I watched the party of the play in the film.
In the film, the director, who is actually Iago in the play, did a good job displaying this part. He had Othello whispering to himself in a small area where he could still hear and see what Iago was saying and what Cassio was responding. This part of the play was now clear to me that Iago had Othello eavesdrop on their conversation. This part was an important one, and the film helped me understand it a lot better than how i read it.
Whenever you say something, you always have to be careful how you are saying it. It could always be interpreted as being sarcastic or mean when it's meant to be nice. An example in the film was when Othello was talking to Desdemona when he was angry. If he had said what he said in a normal voice, or an exciting voice it wouldn't have sounded as bad and would have seemed like a good thing. Since he was angry, he said it in a different way which made the viewers understand how angry he was.
An example from the book is in Act 3, Scene 4 when Desdemona was talking to the Clown and he said, "To do this is within the compass of man’s wit, and therefore I will attempt the doing it." This means that Desdemona was not asking for too much and he could do what she wanted. This could be taken the wrong way if the Clown said this in a sarcastic voice. If he said it in a sarcastic voice it could be taken in a way that he didn't want to do what she was asking for.
In the story, when Othello was asking Desdemona to see the handkerchief, I did not think Othello would get very upset that she lost it. While reading it, I didn't think Othello was that upset about it. In the movie, the actor who played Othello chose to make him very upset and use this as an example of his change. The movie helped me understand the importance of the handerchief.
One line that could have multiple meanings depending on how it is performed is when Iago says, "Have you not hurt your head?"(4.1.61). Depending on how this is performed, it could mean either do you have a headache, or do you now realize your wife is cheating on you (horns on head referance). In my opinion, it was a referance to his wife being unfaithful, and him growing a horn because of it according to ancient mythology.
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