Updating the Setting of Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Modernization o

Along the crowded streets of Philadelphia the cars rush by and raft are always in a hurry, but the poverty of the people that live in the neighborhoods can never be hidden. The name, the City of Brotherly Love, is almost ironic as disgust and hate fill the streets of the city. There is a division between the people that can not be hidden, but only exaggerated by peoples interactions. This is the setting in which the Shakespearian play Othello will be interpreted. This modernization of this classic tragedy will be more appealing to the juvenility of today, who will be able to relate more to the characters and the setting of the play. The changes to the plot and the language of the play are minimal, but the changes to the setting and characters are drastic. The same issues, race, jealousy, and manipulation, lock remain, but there is a twist to how they are portrayed. The setting of the play is dramatically changed from Venice and Cyprus to inner city Philad elphia. This one change alters the scenes and characters roles in society, but allows Shakespeares original plot to be carried out. It has been said that, High school proved a neat setting for contemporary versions of Shakespeares comedies Strong headed adolescent embarking on first love come with the fitting youd struggle to find more sharply defined social strata or better opportunity for conscious humiliation (Walters, 2002). By setting the film in a high school, characters are at a very vulnerable point in their lives as they are discovering new things about themselves, are forming relationships, and have insecurities about themselves. Often during these vulnerable years, teens use bullying and cruelty to tug others to conform or get ... .... This modern setting and the contemporary characters help todays audiences understand the complexities of human relationships and the destructive qualities of jealousy that Shakespeare wrote about in the original play. This film, ju st as the original play, is very much a tragedy where treachery and jealousy lead to the untimely deaths of Othello and Desdemona. Works CitedBell, Millicent. Shakespeares Moor. Raritan. Vol. 21(2002) 1-14. Bent, Geoffrey. Three green eyeball monsters acting as applied criticism in Shakespeares Othello. The Antioch Review. Summer 1998 358-73. Fierman, Daniel. The Story of O. Entertanment Weekly. 10 Aug 2001 20-3. Walls, Lisa. Bullying and Sexual Harrassment in Schools. Committee for Children. http//www.cfchildren.org/article_walls1.shtml. Walters, Ben. O. Sight and Sound. February 2002 56-7.