Othello Review

In the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Othello, there were many things that varied from Shakespeare’s version. One of the main differences that bothered me was the casting choice, as Othello in this production was white, when he was supposed to be of color in the book. It was one of his defining traits in this novel, and one of the main reasons everyone was so opposed to his marriage to Desdemona. I think his race was a big part of why everything escalated quickly, and the fact that he was not of color took away from the point that Shakespeare was trying to make about diversity in that society, and about the values of that society during that time period. On the other hand, I thought that removing the murders of Cassio and Roderigo was a good choice for the opera. Although those events did prove how evil of a character Iago was, his villainous nature had already been exposed by his asides very clearly throughout the play. One of the best scenes that portrayed his ill nature was the end of Act III, when he was standing by Othello and mocking him by saying “Here is Venice’s Lion, Othello” while Othello was shriveled up in torment and heartache. It was evident that he gave none of his sympathy to Othello, and was purely after vengeance. The absence of these deaths allowed there to be more of a focus on Othello and Desdemona’s deaths, which are the most important ones. It gives the audience more time to fully process the deaths and mourn the characters, rather than having four deaths thrown at them at once. Sometimes, I think that Shakespeare likes to add a dramatic death to reestablish his story as a tragedy, but in many cases, such as Othello, it was not necessary; it seemed more like drama for the sake of being drama. Another scene that they did not include was the scene where Othello talked about how the characters that lived to tell the tale must tell everyone that he did have his flaws, which were what brought him to his end. This part of the play was important because it meant that Othello had realized that he was not invincible, and he acknowledges his fault. Without this scene in the play, it made Othello seem like less of a sympathetic character because he did not own up to his actions. It makes him out to be more ignorant, and the audience ends up liking him less. Furthermore, it was implied that Iago was chased after but it was not as satisfying of an ending as the play, where he would live the rest of his life in pain.

I think they did a fantastic job with costuming, especially with Desdemona who always seemed at the center of attention, whether it be her white dress or her red dress against the dark, blue tones of the rest of the ensemble. The duet with Othello and Desdemona contrasts the black and white imagery that was a commonly repeated motif in the play due to their skin tones and personalities; so instead of verbalizing it, they turned it into something visible. Then, Desdemona’s dress is red in the second half because historically and symbolically, red represents lust, and betrayal. Through Othello’s eyes, the second half is all about her becoming more and more of a sinner in his eyes. The white dress no longer suits her innocence in his eyes, so the red is fitting in being a constant reminder of what he accuses her of doing. Finally, the ending scene the choice to have Desdemona in her wedding dress, instead of lying out the wedding sheets is important because she dies wearing white. Visibly, the audience can see that she died still committed to their marriage, and died as pure as she was when the opera started.