Othello is a very diverse play however it is portrayed in its different venues.

        When reading the novel, the characters become life-like.  A deeper understanding and insight is given to the reader and the characters emotions are felt through vivid words and eloquent phrases.  When the book talks about Othello’s love for Desdemona, one can feel the heart wrench he is put through when the love he feels is tested and questioned.  In the film I see little to no anguish in his character.  The rough portrayal of Othello is one which does not let the audience trust his feelings are in fact real.  The viewers are not fooled by the actor’s poor display of being in love therefore the story becomes questionable.  People may question the core of Othello’s character and conclude that he is ruthless and not at all what he seems.  In contrast to the film, the novel provides the reader a more in depth look into what he is thinking and feeling.  The compassion, vulnerability, the gullibility, love, and suspicion are what can be seen on the pages of a book that are not seen in an actor’s lines.  An actor can recite the same phrases yet leave the stage stirring up opposite emotions from what was intended.          

        Although Othello’s character is the main focus of the story, Desdemona’s qualities are in the same way as important to the unfolding of events.  The film depicts her character as a weak one.  She is seen as someone who is manipulated by authority and does not hold valued opinions.  It seems as though Othello has her a step below him and she is shown to do anything to please.  The Shakespearian novel does not decipher her characteristics in this manner but gives her respect.  Her relationship with her husband, Othello, is read as an equal partnership both in love and respect.  She is not a follower but a leader in her own actions.  She makes decisions based on personal satisfaction and happiness and is strong enough to stand by them.  The film portrays an intimidated Desdemona who, although wanting to be with Othello, feels threatened by her father’s disapproval.  The film needs to give her character more credit for the choices she has made and show her love for Othello as devotion and strength instead of obligatory and weakening.  The film needs to focus more on her purity and positive loyalty towards Othello to render the viewers sympathy in her tragic death.  The book emphasizes her innocence and portrays her as a victim which all comes together to form what is so tragic about this story.  If Desdemona was not perceived in this light the unfolding of events towards the end would have been less dramatic and unfortunate.  Certain personality traits must be emphasized in Desdemona to render the absurd treatment she received from Othello.  It needs to be shown how mistreated she became by jealousy and lies and the ultimate consequences from that need to be believable.        

The film version staring Lawrence Olivier does nothing to make this play the masterpiece that it is known to be.  With the conversion of this play from novel to film it seemed as though it lost its charisma and thus produced some character flaws that put the audience into a phase where they could not identify with the characters behaviors.  To bring justice to a work of art such as a Shakespearian play takes great skill and acting.  It is almost an insult to the work if it is not done in a form fitting for such a play.  Lawrence Olivier knew the lines and in certain parts rose to the scenes but overall made a poor depiction of such a diverse character such as Othello.  This play shows all sides to human emotions and it is a toiling mission to act out all of them in a convincing manner.  There were large parts that felt inaccurate and thus the film felt as though it was lacking the true meaning of the play.  The words were not felt deep enough and the insincerity felt like it overpowered the words that Shakespeare had wrote.  Novels bring much more to the imagination and do not set limitations as films do.