Othello (1951 Film) Literary Elements

Othello (1951 Film) Literary Elements

Director

Orson Welles

Leading Actors/Actresses

Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Suzanne Cloutier, Robert Coote

Genre

Drama, History, Romance

Language

English

Awards

Won Grand Prize of the Festival at the Cannes Film Festival

Date of Release

1951

Producer

Orson Welles

Setting and Context

Venice, Italy

Narrator and Point of View

POV is that of Iago and Othello

Tone and Mood

Serious, Dramatic

Protagonist and Antagonist

Protagonist is Othello. Antagonist is Iago.

Major Conflict

Iago has set in motion a plan to ensure Othello believes his wife, Desdemona is sleeping with Cassio when she is not.

Climax

Othello kills Desdemona, believing that she has committed adultery. Emilia then confesses that Iago had taken Desdemona's handkerchief which causes Othello to know he has killed his innocent wife; he then stabs himself which leads to his death, and Iago is captured.

Foreshadowing

The beginning of the film foreshadows Othello and Desdemona's death as we see their funeral procession.

Understatement

It is understated that Emilia will confess to knowing her husband has betrayed Othello.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

N/A

Allusions

The film is an allusion to how vital it is for people in power to be counseled by those they trust, and that finding ones we truly can rely on is most necessary for one's life.

Paradox

Emilia knows that giving Desdemona's handkerchief to Iago means trouble. Paradoxically, she says nothing of it until Desdemona has been murdered by Othello.

Parallelism

The opening funeral procession parallels the same funeral procession in the closing scene.

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