Chaos Versus Order: Orson Welles' "Othello"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how, in his play "Othello", Shakespeare establishes Iago as a manipulative character who brings chaos and pain to Othello's world of order and respect. Iago's influence on Othello is seen in the text as Othello's lines become progressively shorter and more violent, and Othello loses everything he loves. The paper then looks at how Welles, in his 1952 adaptation of the play, brings these men's opposing styles, chaos and order, to film through the use of visuals and how he emphasizes Othello's loss of power and order at the hands of Iago with the use of lighting, props and confining sets.

From the Paper:

"In his play Othello, Shakespeare establishes Iago as a manipulative character who brings chaos and pain to Othello's world of order and respect. Iago's influence on Othello is seen in the text as Othello's lines become progressively shorter and more violent, and Othello loses everything he loves. Welles brings these men's opposing styles, chaos and order, to film through the use of visuals. In his 1952 adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, Orson Welles emphasizes Othello's loss of power and order at the hands of Iago with the use of lighting, props, and confining sets."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bazin, Andre. "A Review of Othello." Focus on Shakespeare Films. ed. by Charles W. Eckert.
• Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1972. 77-78.
• Buchman, Lorne M. "Naming Time: Orson Welles's Othello." Still in Movement: Shakespeare on Screen. New York and Oxford: Oxford UP, 1991. 126-144.
• Davies. Anthony. "Filming Othello." Shakespeare and the Moving Image. ed. by Anthony Davies and Stanley Wells. New York: Cambridge UP, 1994. 196-210.
• --- Filming Shakespeare's Plays. New York: Cambridge UP, 1991, 100-118.

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