OTHELLO BY SHAKESPEARE : A BRILLIANT TRAGEDY
William Shakespeare was an English poet, dramatist and actor who is considered by many experts to be the greatest dramatist of all time. He was England’s national poet and his body of work includes 38 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 epic narrative poems. His genius as a playwright eclipses that of all others of his age and he created the most vivid characters of the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare occupies a very unique position in world literature. It is true that other poets and novelists have transcended national barriers, but no writer’s living reputation can compete to that of Shakespeare. Othello by William Shakespeare is a brilliant tragedy in literature.
His plays which were written in the late 16th and 17th centuries for a small repertory theatre, are now performed and read more frequently and in more countries than ever before. His many works are about life, love, death, revenge, grief, jealously, murder, magic and mystery. Many of his plays provide a powerful insight into human psychology. Of his numerous works, all of which are outstanding in their own way, some plays have the most enduring literary as well as entertaining value. Othello is one such play. This tragedy of Shakespeare is universally popular and has been enacted several times in several languages.
OTHELLO : THE PLAY IN A NUT SHELL
Othello is one of Shakespeare’s much appreciated tragedies. The play is set in motion when Othello, a heroic black general in the service of Venice. Moreover, the protagonist of the play, appoints Cassio and not Lago as his chief lieutenant. Jealous of Othello’s success and envious of Cassio, Lago plots Othello’s downfall by falsely implicating Othello’s wife, Desdimona and Cassio in love affair. With the aid of Emilia, his wife, and the willing help of Roderigo, Lago carried out his plan and convinced Othello of Desdimona’s unfaithful behavior.
Thus overcame with jealousy, Othello killed Desdimona. After that, he learned from Emilia that his wife was blameless. One conspicuous feature of Shakespeare’s tragedies is that they proceed through a staggering range of human emotions. Especially those that are appropriate to the mature years of human cycle. Othello centers on sexual jealousy in marriage. As a tragedy, the play adroitly exemplifies the traditional classical model of a good man brought to misfortune by tragic flaw. Thus Othello by William Shakespeare is a brilliant tragedy in literature.
POPULARITY OF OTHELLO IN THE WORLD OF THEATRE
Othello, undeniably heroic though ultimately flawed, is the most prominent black protagonist in early Western literature. This play is however the most famous literary exploration of warping powers of jealousy and suspicion. Othello was first performed on 1st November, 1604. It thus remained a popular play in Shakespearean repertory throughout its first centuries of existence. On Broadway, it ran for 296 performances, almost twice as long as any other Shakespearean play ever produced. Closer home, Utpal Dutt was the first to enter main stream drama through translation of Shakespeare. Besides, Othello was one of his most noteworthy productions. Though in recent time, Othello performed by Goutam Haldar has gained immense popularity.
