It's an odd thing. It's very naturalistic and yet Elizabethan. The blend of both works so extremely well to the point that I actually understand the interchange. Truly, a pair of Amazing deliveries.
The only supported textual reason that Iago hates Othello is that he is passed over for a military promotion. The actor explains that his Iago is upset that a black man who should have “stuck with him” passed him over for a white man. A much more interesting portrayal than “Iago bad because racism.”
@@ChipperAaron54 Having participated in a 1977 production here in America (California, to be precise) that also had a black Iago, playing up the resentment of a black man being passed up for a promotion in favor of a white man worked just fine in our production. As for the racial epithets used by Iago in referencing Othello, he would simply have been echoing the disparaging terminology used by the ruling class.
@@jglaude2 A few years back the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC did a production with a black Iago and a white Othello -- played by Patrick Steward. Unfortunately I missed it.
Just to be curious (since I haven't seen this production), how does this play work with Iago being black, since the script draws heavily on his racial prejudice towards Othello?
@FredFuchs77 what's his videos got to do with anything he just said? Far as I know Iago is a white Venetian constantly making comment about Othellos race. Yeahhh making Iago black is kinda ridiculous u have to admit
Watch it. It works. It challenges. It holds the mirror up to nature in the audience - their own reaction shows virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure. See the prejudice displayed in the comments.
Don't assume it's ridiculous or doesn't work because it's not portrayed in the way it was written. There is a long-standing virulent and violent history of colorism, prejudice, and hatred within the black community
He makes racist comments stir up racism in Desdemona’s dad, but in his monologues he hates him for promoting Cassio, and possibly sleeping with his wife Emilia.
The play isn’t racist. Iago IS racist. He’s also crazy, sadistic, mysogenistic and a genius of improvisation. Asking the motivation of genius monsters is a bit pointless. His motivation is that he’s a genius monster. Like Richard 3. But scarier. Read the history of the 20th century… people ARE scary.
