(Still... I better get started, or else... =.="")
Act One begins with the discontentment of Iago and Roderigo; the former because Othello have favored Michael Cassio over him and have promoted Cassio to become his liutenant instead of Iago though he was more experienced in the battlefield whice Cassio was totally inexperiences and therefore, more deserving, while the latter is because he was in love with Desdemona, whom has secretly wed Othello.
This leads to the confrontation of Barbantio, Desdemona's father with Othello, who accused Othello of commiting witchcraft in order to make his daughter fell in love with him and caused her to elope with him, but Othello managed to defend himself and claimed that he has won Desdemona's heart through the stories of his past which he has told to her.
As I read through the first act, there were a few things that caught my eyes (though I must admit, that it was a struggle for me to keep my eyes open with all these classical English pouring over the pages~). Othello might have been written about four hundred years ago, but surprisingly, as a person who is reading it from the perspective of a person who is not from that era (welcome to the 21sty century, folks.), I could still find a few things which I could still relate to especially when it comes to certain issues found in Othello.
Racism, for example, though not as prevalent today as how it was during the Elizabethan era back back then, is still something that I could still identify with when it comes to my life as a part of a multi-racial nation. In Othello, Barbantio, Desdemona's father, addresses Othello as a "Moor" which is the name of his race instead of his name, and accuses Othello of witchcraft which he supported with his claims that his daughter will not "fall in love with what she feared to look on" - which leaves me with a strong feeling of "Othering" and racism when I was reading through the play which is a reflection of the mentality of the real society back then.
Apart from that, I could also see another issue which involves human nature: Jealousy - which ultimately leads to hatred. Iago might have a basis for not being happy for not getting the promotion he deserves, but this does not justify that he has the right to be jealous and discontent, and feeling hatred towards Othello - and that does not justify either his malicious and deceitful nature which is a total contrary to what the other characters in the play believes him to be.
So in a way, I can also say that I have also manage to relate to the nature of Iago when it comes to my life and the people I meet everyday. It is a reminder to myself as well, that people are often not as what you think, and people can never be judged based on their appearances.
Oh well, that's all for now. I will add in more for Act One when I spent more time thinking about it later... but for now, Captain Ball... HERE I COME!!! PKA ROCKS!!! xD
so now i have to learn about othello.
ReplyDeleteOthello.... hmmm...
because i still have not finished the book yet, only for the Act 1, (but i finished the movie though) so i do hope for u guys to add expand mine.
perhaps it is best to look Othello as something interior - personal, individualistic, and more to the sense of identity.
yea, why not - in the Act 1, we see the main character, Othello as a Moor, a criminal (he eloped with Brabantio's daughter) a black individual which have been discriminated (by Brabantio, perhaps even the tradition of the Venetian by that time), a successful soldier, a husband, which in the end turned into a jealous husband, a murderer, a victim, then transformed into a tragic lover (like shakespeare always do, like romeo and hamlet).
a great respect for shakespeare for being such a genius to think such character development. but this is not what i wanted to say in the first place.
the way i see Othello, is not through the device of Iago - of how he manipulated the characters, but more to how the Moor being affected by him.
"I am not what I am" - Iago.
this is a very interesting dialogue by Iago which summarize not only him, but also almost everyone in the play.
look at the Moor. is he a good husband like he really think?
does Desdemona really a good wife in the eye of Othello?
most characters are not what they think they are - whether in their own eye, or in the perspective of others. we can see this very clearly in the development (perhaps, the result of Iago's manipulation) of Othello throughout the story, where all the plot relate to: of what the Moor had become.
the issue of racism in Othello does not really excites me for it is brief and too simple, where it is not developed by shakespeare. it died in the Act 1 - or is it?
but what really gives fun to this play is the reverse feminism: the experimentation of femininity not in woman, but in man, which in this case, Othello. ( the term reverse feminism comes from mid-air. haha, sorry. i dunno if it exist though. i was thinking about alter-feminism in the first place).
Othello is well known as a great soldier, with many valiant experiences, valor, strength, courage, bravery - all the thing that makes people say "whoa~", but he is defeated by his own feminine side. he may be a great strong man, but he is subdued by his prejudice, perhaps even ego,and shame(?) why does she do not ask Cassio himself about the affair? why does he himself did not spy Desdemona to find the truth? - even before the forged truth (Iago's scheme, actually) why did he treat Desdemona like it is the truth - of her being unfaithful?
then perhaps he feels inferior? where he thinks himself of being inferior because he is black and Cassio is white? racist, yes - and relates to colonialism approach, but i think it is more of him being feminine, or pushed to be a feminine - where his subtle side surrendered to the fear of unfaithfulness.
shakespeare's characters in Othello - for me - seem to be perfect. TOO perfect, to be honest.
because they do not have flaw in their role - of bad being entirely bad, and good being entirely good.
but what i wanted to discuss here is not that flaw - but what is being showed by such 'flaw' in Othello.
no, its not the ' does such character can really exist? - duh?" type of question, but actually more to " what happened when what deemed to be the strong point of individual becomes the fatal weaknesses in him/her?"
we see the Moor as "free and open nature". a good point for him, but that is the exact characteristic that corrupted him - of him trusting Iago more than his own wife. trust do strengthen a person - but a blind trust shatters him.
i think thats it. and to add, assumption better be settled as soon as possible, and be honest in a relationship - or end up like Othello.
i hate u, Othello. your love is not a real love. :P
but i still think the 'reverse feminism' is not quiet right... can anyone help me with my blurr?
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