A Duplicitous Mason

Rather accustomed to literary and theatrical presentations of Shakespeare's work, I was tentative about the prospect of viewing a Shakespeare film. Something about it seemed wrong to me, or perhaps bizarre. Quickly, however, I had a change of heart as Iago's manipulative words consumed me and his demeanor persuaded me to see the rationale of his ludicrous plan. Although Shakespeare's literature is esteemed for the compelling messages that it delivers to it's readers, the movie offers encapsulating visuals and sound that place the viewer directly into the scene.

The most striking element of the 1995 Othello film is Iago's demeanor. His secretive character is aided by the sly fashion in which he moved around the scenes, and by his tone of voice that soothes Othello into trusting the terms of his scheme. Take, for instance, the scene in which Iago convinces Othello of Desdemona's unfaithfulness. Clearly Othello is enraged at the thought of his wife's infidelity, as he clenches his fists and maintains an irate look on his face, similar to the one pictured above, but Iago's persistence in describing the details of her unfaithfulness is what pushes Othello to insanity. Evidently, the driving force in this development is the provoking tone that Iago uses. When he says lines like "Cassio's my worth friend --- My lord I see you are moved" in an inquisitive manner, it is clear that he is enraging Othello further and turning his attention to the punishment that Cassio deserves (3.3.10). Factors, such as these, make Iago a more powerful character in the film than in the play. While reading the play I could not understand why Othello could not see right through Iago's facade, but the movie highlighted his deceptive character and made his devious plots seem rational.

The only aspect of the film that confused me was the passage of time. While in performances and plays acts separate different series of scenes, in the movie pivotal scenes tend to occur consecutively. Although this quickened development did strike me as abnormal, in the end it only made the film even more heavy-hitting as action was followed by more action.