Play and Film-"The death of Desdemona" (Act V Scene ii): Oliver Parker's "Othello" and "Othello" by William Shakespeare.

This comparative essay focuses on the murder of Desdemona (Act V, Scene ii) of William Shakespeare's 'Othello', in both the Folger version of the play, and Oliver Parker's film adaptation of the play. Through omissions to the script, use of lighting, and added scenes, Oliver Parker alleviates Othello of guilt, and preserves his honour in his adaptation. This paper will examine the original play as performed in the Globe Theatre in the seventeenth century. In …

…attempt to not stray too far from the original work. It is a well done adaptation, with good visual additions, yet as the old saying goes 'the book [or play] is better than the movie'. Works Cited: Othello. Dir. Oliver Parker. Perf. Laurence Fishburne, Irene Jacob, and Kenneth Branagh. DVD. Castle Rock Entertainment, 1995. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello The Moor of Venice. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat, Ed. Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 1993