“A cartharsis of pity and fear”, that is what has made Othello so memorable. “A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself in appropriate and pleasurable language … in a dramatic rather than narrative form with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish a catharsis of these emotions.” So, what is it that makes Othello so powerful and memorable that its’ story can be reimagined to todays time? How skilfully the story must be moulded so the untouched themes can fit the drastic change in context? With the shift in time, from the 17th Century Venice in Othello, to New Boy’s much more contemporary era, 1970’s Washington DC, the same themes are explored in both texts and are used to their full potential. William Shakespeare’s Othello has been reimagined by Tracy Chevalier, where she encapsulates the solid and timeless themes of jealousy, duplicity and the use of the tragic hero and transports them onto a school playground. Great storytelling appeals to the audience with its engaging plot through the universal themes that have been demonstrated in the tragedy of both Othello and New Boy through their individual context, utilising the Aristotelian elements.
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