Othello #3

When reading Othello, I felt extremely bad for Desdemona. She was obviously faithful to Othello, and yet she was blamed for and killed for something she did not do. She loved Othello deeply and the last thing she experienced in her life was Othello, her lover, murdering her. Even when she was close to death, she still defended and loved him as she did not turn him in for murdering her. I also felt bad for her because she was forced to leave her father behind in order to be with her lover. It seems to me that it would be extremely difficult to leave behind family for your husband. Also, not only did she leave behind her father, but he died and then she was killed by her lover. Could anyone ask for a worse life?

Othello #2

There is some dramatic suspense in this play and it is created mostly through Iago. The audience constantly knows Iago's plans, but the suspense is created in not knowing whether or not his plans will work out. The audience also constantly knows that Iago's ultimate plan is to kill Cassio and suspense is created here when the audience does not know if it is Roderigo or Cassio whom is going to die. While the audience may know Iago's plan the whole play, the other characters have no idea. Throughout the play, they refer to Iago as the most honest person they know. They seem to worship him in some ways and nobody sees past his facade. Not even his own wife knows the full extent to his plan. He pretends to be kind and truthful and this provides suspense because the audience knows that at some point in time, his plan will fall apart and he will be discovered.

Othello

This play is a tragedy. From the beginning, the audience knows that something tragic is likely to happen because of Iago's determination to get revenge. Iago proves himself to be stoic through the action of the play and eventually, he is the character who causes all of the tragic events to occur. Tragedy is the only type of drama that is really used in this story as there is little romance and it is short lasting. The only romance that is in the play is between Othello and Desdemona, but this is short lasting. When he becomes jealous, he is no longer romantic with Desdemona. It is important that the audience realize this is a tragedy because they need to recognize the evil ways and manipulative ways of Iago. The tragic form of the play is completed at the end when the majority of the characters die, including Othello, Iago, Desdemona, and Emilia.

Othello

So far, I hate found Othello to be slightly confusing, but as I have read more, I have began to understand more. One of my favorite characters is Desdemona at this time. I like her because she seems to stand up for herself and for women in general. When Iago was saying what he thought about different types of women, she says he is "worse and worse." She also did not marry a guy just because she was told to. She stood up for what she wanted and married Othello even though he was a "black man." I liked that even though this may not have been what everyone else wanted, she still went with her heart. I'm not sure if this was her only intent, but from the information I have been given I like her as a character. She also seems to be seriously in love with Othello. As of right now, she is my favorite character.

Othello: antagonist vs. protagonist

In Othello, Othello stands out as the protagonist. He is the so called "hero" of the story, as he has everything. He is looked up to by many because of his war experience and he is an amazing fighter. He also has the perfect woman and many people are jealous of the luxury life he lives. Like many protagonists, he also has a downfall which is being caused in many ways but the antagonist, Iago. Iago is the "evil" one who is attempting to cause the downfall of Othello. He is doing this because he wants revenge on Othello for supposedly sleeping with his wife. He is the person whom is keeping the action going through his destructive plan. He is the man who is attempting to destroy everything that Othello has built up. In the first three chapters, I have found a few foil characters. I saw Iago and Cassio as foiling each other. While Iago is evil, but falsely honest, Cassio is seen as evil while he is really honest. Cassio is also very respectful and loving toward women. Iago treats women as if they are property and says extremely offensive things about them. For example he speaks of his wife by saying, "you are pictures out of doors, bells in your parlors, wildcats in your kitchens, saints in your injuries, devils being offended, players in your housewifery, and housewives in your beds." As this shows, he says very offensive things and is not much of a charmer while Cassio is a charmer. Also, Emilia and Desdemona foil one another as Emilia seems to stand back and take Iago's crude comments while Desdemona speaks her mind and says what she thinks of of his comments.

Othello: Themes

The main theme that i have found in the first three Acts of Othello is jealousy. It seems that all characters are jealous at some point in time. The story starts off from the beginning with the theme of jealousy. Iago begins the play by expressing his jealousy of Cassio because he was placed as Othello's lieutenant. The story then transitions to Roderigo's jealousy of Othello for marrying Desdemona. Throughout the next three acts, the theme of jealousy is easily detectable. The story is driven by jealousy, as it is Iago whom keeps the action going through his plan of revenge on everyone. He turns the other characters against each other and even causes jealousy in Othello by making him believe his wife has found another lover. Jealousy is what causes most if not all problems between the characters.

Coming Soon: The Lottery

Plot

I decided to choose "The Lottery" for my short story adaptation because I think much could be done in line with the theme and because it had a scary theme which I think would help to involve the audience. In terms of plot, I thought the way it was set up in the short story was adequate for a story, but for a movie, much would need to be added. I think that before the surprise ending of what the Lottery really is, there would need to be some background on the town itself and the individual characters as well. If I was making "The Lottery" into a movie, I would not begin the story with the lottery, but instead would follow the town and the workings of the individual families before the lottery. I think this would add more sympathy for the characters and the way in which they live. I also think this would allow the viewer to see the extent of the blind acceptance of this long-standing tradition. In terms of the lottery part of the plot, I think I would keep most of it the same. I would add more dialogue between the characters during this section, but keep most of the plot the same.

Point of View

While reading the short story, I liked the 3rd person omniscient point of view and I think I would keep this for the movie. Many movies may begin and end in a specific point of view, but the between is difficult to pinpoint exactly what the point of view is. This is how I would design this film. I would start off jumping from person to person like the whole town was telling the story, but would progress into the action and because of this, the point of view would be lost. This is common in most movies because the audience does not want to sit and listen to people telling the story, they want action. For this reason, I would have the point of view fade in and out, so that the audience doesn't get bored, but they still pick up on the theme of the whole town being in on this long-standing tradition. These changes may cause the audience to lose some of the theme of the blind acceptance, but I think for the most part, this theme would not be lost.

Characterization

I liked the indirect characterization of the characters in "The Lottery" and would keep it this way in the movie adaptation. Through conversations and actions, I would reveal small snippets of the characters personalities so the audience could meet the characters rather than being told about them. Some changes with characterization would be that the audience would get to meet the characters before the day of the lottery, so they would get to see them in everyday life. I think this would enhance the short story, because instead of just seeing the characters in a stressful situation, the audience would get to see them when they are normal. This would help to illuminate the theme of blind acceptance because it would show that in everyday life, these people are normal, but because of this tradition, they turn into monsters. I think this would add to the work also because the audience would be able to better relate to the characters as they go through everyday life rather than just believing these people are crazy killers.

Setting

In my adaptation of the short story, the setting would be much more complex. In the short story, the only setting is June 27th on a clear and sunny day and the town square. In the movie, there would be more complex and stereotypical settings of a small town. For example, a town court house in the square and a clock tower. The houses would also reflect stereotypes of small towns. This would add to the meaning because it would emphasize the small town and the people/society being cut off from other influences and technologies. They were very old fashioned in the story and I think setting could help to show this. I would also emphasize the fact that they are cut off from other people who could influence the town to stop the brutality in their tradition.

Theme

Because the themes of "The Lottery" were the main part of the story that caused me to like this story while also being scared by it, I would try to change the themes as little as possible. I would be sure to still convey the theme of blind acceptance of traditions and accepting what authority tells you to do. I found these themes to be true even today and I think they are very important to the story. I would do this by keeping it so mostly everyone accepts the tradition, even the victims family members. I would still include the scene where the Adams mention stopping the lottery, but like in the story, it will be a small detail which passes quickly. Through the plot and setting, I would convey the old-fashion ways of the town which also help to establish the theme. by only making slight changes to the story while adding much on, I think the themes and meanings could remain and even enhance the short story.