Representations of Othello on Screen

I see this time and time again, but the power of artistic license never fails to amaze me. Especially in Shakespeare, I notice how many different ways a play can be performed basing on the original (or what we think is the most original) text Shakespeare wrote. It makes me admire directors as well as actors for making sense out of old English words that are hard for me to focus into when in writing. In the clip of Othello we watched together in class, my favorite representation was that of Othello. When I read the play I didn't register the emotion and the anguish that accompanied Othello's decision to murder Desdemona. I think that the actor interpreted the emotion that Shakespeare most likely meant to put into Othello during the act so well. The sadness he showed was perfectly mixed with the anger that he felt toward her because he believed himself betrayed. If I had to rethink that particular scene and try to imagine what Shakespeare most likely would have envisioned, that would be it. 

I would also like to clarify a point that I made in class. I mentioned that I thought the way Iago was represented was interesting because of how the directors portrayed his perception of the damage he caused. When I first looked at it, I thought he looked a little sorry for what he had done because of the way he was looking at Othello, and the way he was denying to answer his questions. At first look, I took his quietness to mean that he was afraid in a way to answer to Othello about what he had done. Because I didn't see glee in his eyes, I automatically went to the opposite which would be shame. When I re-watched the scene, I saw more indignation than repentance. This makes more sense because I think that the director would have had to make a very big use of their artistic license to show Iago as sorry for what he had done. I don't think the text gives enough evidence to legitimately make that call in a film representation.