Use of Imagery in Oliver Parker's Othello.

The symbolism with the chess pieces is very relevant to the issues of the play. It is used to symbolize Iago's control over the main characters. Othello, Desdemona and Cassio and represented by a black king, white queen and white knight respectively. When Iago has finished his soliloquy, he drops the pieces into water. This is done to symbolize the inevitable demise of all 3 characters. The first time we see the chess pieces they are …

…mad, he generally wears black clothing. When he is about to kill Desdemona, he is wearing a white cape. This is imagery symbolizes a "death shroud." Lighting is also used in the scene where Othello kills Desdemona. When Othello is walking down the hallway to Desdemona's bedroom, he is standing in the shadows, blowing out the candles along the way. This symbolizes his transition from: light to darkness, good to evil or sanity to insanity.