Second Essay
In the 1995 version of the movie “Othello”, the actors did a good job representing the
different characters in the book. The characterizations were very well made, and it was possible to
perceive the book’s atmosphere in the movie thanks to them. The two characterizations that stood
out the most to me were those ones from Othello and Desdemona.
Othello, who is played by Laurence Fishburne, is portrayed as naïve and insecure, despite
the fact that he is a general. It is possible to see this in the fact the he is very quick to believe in
Iago’s lies. Laurence was able to show the naiveness and insecure mind of the character mostly
through his expressions that reflected doubt and anger throughout the movie. He also maintained
a stiff posture that helped on showing the constant state of stress of the character. On the other
hand, Desdemona, played by Irene Jacob, is portrayed as a gentle and innocent woman. Irene did
a good job in her characterization through her mannerisms and specially by the way she used her
voice. All her movements were always gentle and caring, from the way she walked to the way that
she approached other characters. Also, the tone of voice that she used throughout the movie was
soft and very gentle, even when Desdemona was annoyed.
In conclusion, both Laurence and Irene were able to accurately characterize Othello’s and
Desdemona’s traits portrayed in the book, and at the same time were able to add their own
uniqueness to the characters.