Shakespeare himself once described the state of humanity, “Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.” He applied this profound observation to the characters of his play Othello, the story of an interracial marriage destroyed by manipulation. In this tragedy, the title character Othello falls from his status as a respected, even glorified, leader to an incredulous murderer, while his “friend” Iago thrives on Othello’s downfall. Shakespeare’s original script illustrates Othello’s vulnerability and destruction quite obviously, while more modern interpretations take a vaguer approach. The 1995 feature film Othello and the video adaption of Verdi’s opera Otello both serve as prime examples of how Othello’s demise can be interpreted, and present all characters in varying light. Between these three versions of Shakespeare’s play, the original work presents Othello’s change most clearly. In it, Othello’s transition from “good” to “bad” is very apparent. Shakespeare portrays Othello as a simplified human, perhaps to make him more relatable in vagueness, and in so doing makes his deterioration obvious. At the beginning of the play, the Duke addresses Othello as “Valiant Othello,” and values his advice on political matters (1.3.50). At this time, Othello (though disrespected on the issue of race) is a prized presence in his country and among his peers. His bravery is matched by his character, as he loves his wife and “puts [his] life upon her faith!” (1.3.293). He represents the ultimate human being, both successful and honorable without falling into a godly category. This seemingly flawless man, however, plummets into hatred and misery as Iago convinces him of his wife’s affair, and his once-loyal remarks become statements of “my heart has turned to stone,” and “let [Desdemona] rot and perish and be damned…for she shall not live.” (4.1.176) His rapid regression into obsessive suspicion serves to display that with perfection comes vulnerability, and when tapped will turn perfect goodness into perfect iniquity. Othello is a stranger to hatred, so when he is overcome with the emotion he is taken by it fully, acting rashly and unreasonably. He justifies the common fear of raw emotion, because in his emotion he betrays himself and the woman he loves. This characterization of Othello distinguishes Shakespeare’s script from the newer versions of the story, as does his use of language, dialogue, and relationships. Iago takes advantage of Othello’s goodness. He uses Othello’s trusting nature to manipulate his emotions. Iago’s words never actually offer legitimate proof of Desdemona’s affair, but because Othello is trusts him as a friend, Iago simply plants seeds of thought that cause Othello to convince himself the irrational idea. This type of manipulation is a unique aspect of Shakespeare’s version. He show is by blatantly showing the characters’ thought processes. Through soliloquy and dialogue, it is easy to trace Iago’s devious plan, Othello’s deterioration, and Desdemona’s confusion. All of the characters make their thoughts clear to the audience, which adds to the depth of the problem. The manipulation itself is also more complex in the play than in the two films; for example, Iago works hard to keep Othello and Desdemona from ever consummating their marriage, and he strives to get others unknowingly involved in the sabotage. He ponders, “I’ll have Michael Cassion on the hip/Abuse him to the Moor in the rank garb,” because he is striving to make the situation as complicated as possible. When this more intricate plan is applied to a more simplified Othello, the results appear even more disastrous. Lastly, Othello is faced with more obstacles in the play than in the films. He must overcome racial barriers, from slight degrading remarks like “Moor” to deliberate disapproval from his father-in-law (1.3); epilepsy, when taunted by Iago (4.1); war, immediately after his wedding (1.3); and various personal battles with Cassio and Iago. In overcoming these obstacles, he is made to seem like a hero, because he rises above circumstance. This, once again, makes his fall even more tragic. Overall, Shakespeare stresses the perfect humanity that Othello embodies, then brings him down through his weaknesses harshly and dramatically. The film adaption of Othello uses much of Shakespeare’s original script, yet it manages to alter the way Othello’s vulnerabilities are exposed. Instead of changing drastically, Othello hardly changes at all, but instead the people around him change to expose his meltdown. Laurence Fishburne plays Othello roughly from the beginning; he is never the kind, beloved man seen at the beginning of the play. He is consistently aggressive and maintains an expression of ferocity throughout the film. The way he is received, however, particularly by Desdemona, implies his shifting disposition. At the beginning, when Othello and Desdemona are to consummate their marriage, Desdemona embraces Othello’s intensity with a smile. But as he is corrupted by suspicion, she shows fear around him. Her reaction, and other character’s reactions, show Othello’s change more than he does. The movie also varies in interpretaion in other areas: Othello and Desdemona’s wedding is shown, Iago is a somewhat likable character, sexuality is emphasized, and a few subplots were dropped. Even without these changes, however, the film adaptation would vary greatly from the play due solely to cinematic interpretation. Director Oliver Parker made some artistic choices that brought Othello to life in a new way. The costumes, sets, and scenes filmed were mostly dark, perhaps emphasizing the darkness overtaking the characters’ lives, or the instability of the featured relationships. There was a larger focus on interactions and dialogue than on the individual thought that is seen through much of the play. Othello himself is a darker, more aggressive character, and when juxtaposed to Desdemona’s fleeting and light presence he could pass as the “bad guy.” These elements all contribute to the overall expression that Othello’s downfall is his own fault. Iago is involved in less sabotage, and Othello seems to be unhappy from the beginning, which implies that Othello may have just been looking for a reason to kill off his wife, and Iago only helped him, rather than tricked him. Overall, this film adaptation does not so much expose human vulnerabilities as it does explore Othello’s motives. Lastly, Verdi’s Otello hardly even touches on the Othello’s actual manipulation. It is more a ballad of a tragic love than a story of a corrupted lover. The story itself is altered: Othello’s history is explained in a series of flashbacks, Iago does next to nothing to convince Othello of the affair, the characters of Emilia, Bianca, and Roderigo are practically eliminated, and all of the characters are religiously driven. The opera begins and ends with extravagant scenes and huge numbers of people, and most of the major scenes within the opera are in large groups as well. This constant presence implies that Othello acts as he does because he is concerned about his reputation, because the people are constantly judging him. He does not seem to be affected as deeply as the other Othello’s are when faced with his wife’s infidelity (he never seizes or even investigates), but he reacts just as harshly, which suggests some hidden purpose. The focus of the opera is wider than just Othello’s downfall; it includes a long and dramatic operatic soliloquy by Iago, which makes him an even more prominent character than in the original play, and there is an enormous emphasis on the foundation of Othello and Desdemona’s love. Also, because all dialogue is sung, the characters do not seem as connected. Their faces never have the opportunity to tell their story or reveal their thoughts, and the story cannot be told in its full complexity. Though the opera does a beautiful job of telling the story of a damned love, it does not hold the depth of tragedy and humanity that Shakespeare’s original play held. Shakespeare created Othello to epitomize the destruction to which all humans are vulnerable. In his script, Shakespeare cast Othello in precisely that light. Though the modern film adaptation and Verdi’s opera tell the story of Othello, they do not grasp the overall purpose of Othello’s character. His fall from glory to destruction in all three versions, though different, all prove that “Some rise by sin, and some fall by virtue.” Othello’s strength was manipulated by those around him as well as himself, and due to this manipulation, vulnerability destroyed his humanity.

References Shakespeare, William. Othello. New York: Barnes & Noble Publishing. 2007. Internet Movie Data Base. Othello, (1995), Castle Rock Entertainment. 2008. Shakespeare-online.com. Mabillard, Amanda. Othello. 2006. Classical.net. Parker, Stephen. Otello. 1996.