I thought the interview with Kent Thompson by Phillip C. Kolin was very interesting and gave a very different perspective on the play Othello in comparison to what I had personally created, in particular the way in which Thompson illustrated the character Desdemona.
Thompson, when choosing a character for the roll of Desdemona, was looking for someone in late 20s to middle early 30s. I personally, and I believe most people; saw Desdemona as a young beautiful girl who was simply being cared by romance throughout the play(aged around 23). However, Thompson had a different point view. He saw Desdemona as a more knowledgeable and wiser character. The reasoning Thompson wanted Desdemona to be older was because he believed a modern interpretation to fit in with the clash of cultures that is at the centre of Othello.
This changes the dynamics of the whole play with Desdemona being a central character in the play. While rereading the play it easy to see how Thompson gets this interpretation of Desdemona being a more experienced character. It no doubt adds more depth to the play, as you begin to questions Desdemona’s decisions. It is interesting that Kolin states that Desdemona was played initially as a victim in the play. However Thompson is now trying to portray her as a more defiant character amongst an all mall cast. When I read the play I saw her as a victim that really just got caught in the wrong crowd.
While reading the play I too didn’t take that much consideration into how difficult it would be to cast Othello. Everything Thompson was looking for made sense to portray the type of Othello I envisioned. It was also interesting to me that he chose an older women to play Desdemona because when I envisioned her, she was young and persuasive. Her lack of experience in my mind contributed to her willingness to be bold. Thinking about her being older changes the way I viewed the play.
ReplyDeleteI also so Desdemona differently than Thompson. From her actions in the play, i though of her as a young and naive girl, especially in how she is captivated by Othello's stories and does not foresee her murder. So it was rather surprising to see that Thompson saw her as more mature, but I can understand that he did it to show a sort of class difference
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