Othello

The only thing I can compare 'Othello' to is, well, The Dark Knight. But I never mention superheroes on this blog, so I won't elaborate.

'Othello' was...INTENSE. I mean, wow! That was High. Tragedy. Seriously. Iago was... a work of art, really. I really didn't think people back then were capable of creating villains like Iago. He was so evil and so brilliant, I said I wouldn't elaborate, but I can't talk about Iago without saying something about The Joker. Just the pure, raw, evilness. It is very much like The Joker.

Iago is driven by three things: Gain. He wants more money, that is why he keeps Rodrigo around. Sport. In one part, he actually says that he is doing what he is doing for the sport. (Again, The Joker comes to mind.) And revenge. He wants nothing more than to break Othello. For two reasons, one, he thinks Othello had an affair with Emilia, his wife. But he only mentions that once, his main reason is that Othello made young Michael Cassio his lieutenant instead of himself.

He develops this plain, this complex and yet simple plain. The entire play is basically about how he destroys Othello. He twists Othello's love for Desdemona, turns it into jealousy ("It is thee green-eyed monster that doth mock the the meat it feeds on."), and then into hatred.

Worst Character: Uh.... Iago? He is the ultimate villain, but, as I said, he was a work of art. The most insidious thing about him it how much everyone trusted him, "Honest Iago." They (Othello, Rodrigo, and Cassio.) all believed that Iago deeply and truly had their best interest in mind. They all actually thought that he was just helping them out, but in reality, he was just serving his own purposes.

Best Character: Michael Cassio. He was just a really good dude. Almost too good. That is, his noble innocence made him rather easy for Iago to use. I liked him very much. He was loyal and trustworthy and honest. He was, in fact, everything everyone thought Iago was.

In a Word: Intense.

Rated: R

Crowning Moment: I asked Kae if 'Othello' had a best part. She replied, "Uh, from page one to the last part." In the book where I read 'Othello', the play actually starts on page 363, but you get the point.