The Power of Stories and Storytelling: Shakespeare’s and Geoffrey Sax’s Othellos Anonymous 11th Grade

The importance of a narrative lies in its capacity to illustrate how humans perceive themselves as individuals and communities. Groups have been sharing stories since the beginning of time. As a result, narratives are products of their specific periods. In other words, ideas are contextualized and texts and their appropriations reflect the conditions of their context. However, a comparative study of different texts can further enable us to comprehend the relationship between some eternal ideas and the contexts in which they are shaped. This assumption is evident in William Shakespeare’s Othello and Geoffrey Sax’s post-modern appropriation that both narrate the experiences and attitudes shown towards minorities. By a comparison of the two texts, we can see that storytelling has the power to transcend time to portray a tragic narration of alienation and it’s shaping of individuals and communities. This narration is embodied in the character of Othello and John Othello.

Alienation in Shakespeare’s text is illustrated in Othello whose North African heritage alienates him from the wider community diminishing his self-worth. His racial identity propels him to believe that he is the lesser man. The prejudice held against Othello’s...