With Aristotles requirements and vocabulary in mind, reflect upon the relationship between Shakespeares Othello and Nelsons O. Did the adaptation of the Renaissance tragedy to a modern high school setting work for you? Were there elements of the film that you felt transposed Shakespeare more successfully than others? If so, describe what worked and what didnt, and also explain why you think the way you do. In other words, reflect upon these questions: 1) Does O enact enough of Othellos plot to preserve its tragic soul, or do you feel that something is missing? 2) Did its characters and their motives fly high enough (like a Hawk) to produce in you feelings of catharsis? 3) Also make sure that you refer to specific moments in the play and in the film.
Im asking you here to exercise your own aesthetic judgment. You are not writing to please me or anyone else. But you are doing your writing in light of a theory of tragedy that has been influential in world culture for nearly two and a half millennia, and therefore should not to be too easily dismissed.
