Essay about Updating the Setting of Shakespeares Othello

Along the crowded streets of Philadelphia the cars rush by and people 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 crime and hate fill the streets of the city. There is a division between the people that can not be hidden, but only exaggerated by people’s interactions. This is the setting in which the Shakespearian play â€Å"Othello† will be interpreted. This modernization of this classic tragedy will be more appealing to the youth 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†¦show more content†¦A bullys abuse is abrasive and wears down a victims self-esteem. A childs distress about an attack fuels a bullys sense of importance and can act as a catalyst for future instances of abuse.† (Walls, 2004 )) These feelings are the basis and the driving force behind the play, which makes this school setting appropriate. By placing the action of the play into inner city Philadelphia where minority populations are growing while white populations are decreasing, it allows for the film’s racial twist from the original version of the play. Instead of having Othello as an African-American, he is portrayed as white boy who finds himself in a neighborhood and school that is predominantly African-American where he is struggling for acceptance. The origin of Othello was never clearly stated, â€Å"We can merely suspect its vast difference from his present condition† (Bell, 2002). The setting allows an insecure Othello to be thrown in a society with which he was unfamiliar, where someone from the majority is now in the role of the minority. Racial issues can be found in the original play and in other films that have been made of the play. Despite being a member of the majori ty population in the United States, Othello, now living in a Philadelphia inner city neighborhood feels the insecurities of being a minority. The high school which they attend is located in a violent section of SouthwestShow MoreRelatedA Comparison of the Two Film Versions of Romeo and Juliet1789 Words   |  8 Pagesdirector Franco Zeffirelli, born February 12th 1923, was a designer and producer of opera, theatre and television. He was renowned for films productions of Shakespearean plays such as Romeo and Juliet in which he received four awards, Othello and Hamlet. On the other hand, Baz Luhrmann was producing films much later and offered a new version of Romeo and Juliet, which sparkled as brightly as any Shakespeare play had ever done on stage. His first three films, StrictlyRead MoreFigurative Language and the Canterbury Tales13472 Words   |  54 PagesBecket in Canterbury. The band passes the time in a storytelling contest. The framed narratives are the individual stories told by the pilgrims who participate. Frankenstein is a frame narrative. 37. framing method: Using same features, wording, setting, situation, or topic at both the beginning and end of a literary work so as to frame it or enclose it. This technique often provides a sense of cyclical completeness or closure. This is also called an envelope structure or circular structure.Read MoreGp Essay Mainpoints24643 Words   |  99 Pagescolumn lists the top 10 newsworthy stories posted on the site †¢ Mainstream media embrace the Internet as an alternative platform to share news reports with their readers †¢ Respond to growing demand for less lag time in relaying information by setting up websites that complement their publications (constantly updated round the clock) †¢ Shows on television frequently uploaded onto video-sharing websites such as YouTube and Hulu, showing surging demand for mainstream shows †¢ Recent nielson