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Corruption of Power in Othello Essay

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Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely is a quote which can reflect the main ideas featured in the Shakespearean play, Othello and the film, I-Robot. I define power that corrupts as being that one person/persons authority over someone using force, either being physical, mental, political or social which can inflict their ideas upon them and potentially control them. Power is explored through Othello and I-Robot with characters using and abusing their power in order for their own greed, satisfaction or benefit. The composers of both texts have explored the concepts of power by focusing on issues such as the conventions of texts, language, structure, purpose, targeted audience and relevant context. Variations to the themes, symbols, motifs, characterisation and techniques have also been applied based upon targeting the modern audience.

Within the play Othello, power has been portrayed through the characters. As the play slowly unravels, we begin to see characters using and abusing power for their own motive. Iago, in particular will try to use his power over almost everyone, in hope of satisfying himself. As a friend, Iago abuses his power by breaking his trust and promise to Rodrigo of getting Desdemona to love him, as this is an excuse for his own purpose of getting even with Othello by using a foolish Rodrigo. His powers of corruption work against Rodrigo at first, however, with Iago constantly showing no results of progress with Desdemona, Rodrigos change of mind sets Iagos power to pry elsewhere. His power to absolutely corrupt his friend, Rodrigo failed as he was no longer any use to him-he could no longer fool Rodrigo and killed him in the end. With Rodrigo dead, Iago tries desperately to overpower Othello. The continuing exposure of Iagos power, successfully corrupts Othellos mind, as using both strong and meaningful words against Othello sees him to doubt and question his authority. Even though Iago has control over Othellos mind, he cannot completely corrupt it. Absolutely corrupting Othellos mind would mean that Iago has complete power over him, which is not the case. Iago at this stage, can only feed false information in Othellos head, it is up to Othello to decide whether or not to let the power corrupt him. Cassio, the current lieutenant, is also a person of target for Iago. Iagos main objective towards Cassio is to humiliate him in hopes of Othello stripping his title as lieutenant. Iago uses Cassios weakness, the low tolerance for alcohol, to strip him of his title. Iagos plan works, overpowering Cassio, but not completely corrupting him. Once Cassio is sober he redeems himself and explains himself to Othello of his actions, an act which fees himself from Iagos powers. Iagos power to abuse continues, now as a husband. Iago, supposed to be a loyal and trustworthy husband, instead uses his wifes love, and trust to further in his plans, yet again. It is Emilias duty to obey Iagos wishes, as being a wife needs her to show love, support and dedication towards him. Iago takes advantage of this, having power over Emilia for the wrong reasons. By Emilia speaking of the truth after discovering Iagos evil plans, Iago no longer has the power of corrupting her. As this happens, Iago realizes that his control and use of Emilia fades and kills her as having her around may be sabotage to his ultimate plan. Corruption through power, is deadly, as every character vulnerable to Iagos power deceases in the end.

Othello, another main character, also used and abused his power. Othello gains his confidence and eloquence in his language and behaviour through his leadership over the army. This power led him to woe Desdemona, who fell in love with him by learning about his brave and amazing stories about battle. He abuses his power in the relationship as he cannot choose between his love for Desdemona and the love for the army as leader. His love for the army corrupts his love for Desdemona, however it does not completely corrupt as Desdemona and her kind heart forgives and understands the importance of the army. As military power comes to an end, Othellos priority is now to consummate his marriage. With no clue how to act in a private setting like the bedroom, Iago starts planning ideas of how to take power on Othello when he is vulnerable. As the plots forwards, Iagos planning and manipulation leaves Othello at a rage with Desdemona, believing Iago that Desdemona is disloyal by having an affair with Cassio. He inflicts physical power over Desdemona by smothering her with a pillow, in the hopes of healing himself from his pain. Emotions such as anger, jealousy and sadness combined with Othellos own insecurities and conversations with Iago saw him let these factors overpower him, triggering the murder of his innocent wife, Desdemona. Power can influence the mind to think unclearly, which can lead to regrettable mistakes. His physical power did not completely corrupt her, as in the final moments of Desdemonas life, her forgiveness towards him released any power he had against her. Even though Desdemona had died as a result of Othellos power, it did not corrupt her emotionally, as her forgiveness led her to a peaceful death.

Similar to Othello, characters within the modern film I-Robot, also misused their power. Detective Del Spooner uses and abuses his power against robots. His lack of patience and understanding to particular situations causes him to misuse his authority. As a human, with a normal brain and ability to think, he also abuses the power by intimidating robots using physical and emotional power in the hope that robots will reveal some answers. Robots are not humans, and by inflicting power upon someone or something knowing the fact that they will obey is a form of power which can corrupt even a robot. Sonny, a unique robot, is a victim of Spooners abuse. Spooners strategies in trying to justify his theories and finding the answers can be seen as corrupting Sonnys mind. However, with Sonny telling the truth about his understanding to the situation of Lannings death and his unique personality, allows him to escape Spooner from corrupting completely.

Robots can be considered as characters in I-Robot, which use their power to corrupt others. Viki, the centre of power control, is a significant character which uses and abuses her power. Humans had programmed her with power to control the headquarters of USSR, which ultimately led her to control almost everything. This given power is overpowered as Viki abused it by going against the three laws of motion upon robots, which mainly certified that a robot must never harm a human in any way and to obey humans. Through humans, Viki learnt may have learnt from our actions and decided that it was time for a revolution for robots, for the idea of robots ruling the world to happen. Humans had given and programmed to be like humans, act and behave like us. We had inflicted and corrupted the brains of machines with our power, it should not be a surprise that robots turned against us, they are after all machines which came to life by humans. Power works both ways in this situation, with humans corrupting the robots at first then slowly, robots rose against us. Humans are still considered to be seen as being smarter than robots as we have the ability to think beyond the square, as robots only have a certain amount of knowledge. This and the further discoveries about them allowed Dr. Susan Calvin, along with the help of Spooner and Sonny, to kill Viki and stop the influence she had on other robots. Viki, in the end, did not achieve her motive of leading the robots to a complete revolution, and failed to completely corrupt due to power elsewhere- humans being aware and beginning to overpower robots again.

The composers of both texts have explored the concept of power by focusing on the language, features, structure, purpose, audience and context. In order for the targeted audience to understand the meaning conveyed in the text, suitable language must be applied. As seen in I-Robot, language has been adapted to modern language for the current generation to understand the ideas of power being portrayed throughout. With one being a visual based text, the other being a non- visual, the structure and features which differ also causes power to be represented in different ways. Written works must focus on the language to portray meaning while for a film, understanding the visual images shown, plays a significant part to interpreting the different ideas the composer has portrayed. The purpose of creating these texts was obviously to catch an audiences attention, whether for entertainment or educational purposes. Using these texts for future and current financial needs may also be a cause for the production. Othello being published during Elizabethan times was probably targeted more towards the public for entertainment purposes; however, it can also pass on a message and give the idea that one persons greed, benefit and manipulation can absolutely corrupt another if that person allows it to. I-Robot, being a modern film captures modern ideas and problems e.g. sending out a message that humans are being oblivious to the fact that we are abusing our powers with the increase to technology e.g. robots that may eventually wipe out human kind. The context has changed from focusing on historical and political contexts to focusing on a social context. The context is very important as it is necessary to understand and adapt oneself to a certain area or time period before understanding the problems and situations which occur within it.

Composers have characterised power play in these texts by focusing on different themes, symbols, motifs, characterization and film/literary techniques. Othello, based on the Elizabethan era, focuses on themes such as militarism, love and isolation. Militarism, to Othello, is the most important aspect of his life. It wipes away many of his insecurities e.g. being an outcast and the old Moor, and also gains acceptance in Venetian society.

As Othello loses his military power, Iago can successfully get inside Othellos head, being persuaded easily due to his extreme vulnerability. This shows the audience that the ones who seem powerful and heroic can also be weak in other aspects. Power comes with great responsibilities; those that can balance both aspects can be seen as a true hero. With Othello unable to contain his emotions and unaware of Iagos powerful tricks, this is a perfect example of how power can corrupt a person when you are not on top of your game. The power of isolation in this play takes a dangerous toll on most of the characters. Moving from Venice to Cyprus causes unexpected things to happen as the characters are no longer protected by military fortifications and the forces of nature. The power of isolation leads to self-preservation and eventually self-destruction. In an event of a new beginning, new surroundings, many fail to adapt to the surroundings and clever minds can use this to the advantage of themselves e.g. Iago in Othello. This created the idea of how power can corrupt when one is unsure and unaware of the reality of whats happening in new surroundings, in other words, it can strike at you when you least expect it to. The most significant symbol in Othello is the handkerchief given to Desdemona by Othello. It represents the power of his love and a symbol of Desdemonas fidelity, love and loyalty. Iago manipulates the handkerchief, knowing that by doing so, he can have power to corrupt Othello. The re-occurring motifs, sight, blindness and constant links to plants has significant meaning towards the text. Blindness in particular, has power over almost all the characters within the play. Othello in particular, is overpowered by his blindness as he is unable to see the reality of situations. In the end, the irony of it all is that the one person who set up his plans around the blindness of others did not receive his initial motive. Blindness affects everybody, even Iago, who did not foresee the consequences as a result of his actions. This is an example of how one cannot have absolute power to corrupt as no plans/events in life can be absolute. Plants can also be considered as another motif in Othello. It is metaphorically significant to Iago he often refers to plants. Iago makes out as if evil is a natural force, and the minds of others are fertile grounds for his efforts. His idea links to the idea that nature itself can have the biggest power to corrupt, as if his own actions come naturally to affect people. The characters within the play are quite conventional, each with a motive, power and weakness. Othello is portrayed as the hero in this play, being the leader to the great army. However, the power over the army seems to be the only power he has, unable to deal with another very strong symbol of power, love. The power, however, cannot completely overpower him, with him killing Iago, freeing himself from Iagos powers. Iago is seen as the villain of the play, as he finds joy and satisfaction through others pain due to his power play. His ability to manipulate and use others for his own benefits killed him in the end. Power can corrupt everyone, it is a force which is to be shared as no-one has enough power over something. The main literary techniques in this particular play, was Iagos soliloquies. The soliloquies by Iago were vital, as it told us about his future plans and actions, especially understanding how he planned to have power over others.

I-Robot is based around the themes of the real and the spurious and the quest of discovery and exploration. The public believes that robots must follow and obey the three laws, which have been programmed during production. However, what is yet to be discovered is that robots contain much more power than humans believe. The irony of it is that we are the ones who gave power to the robots, but instead it rose up against us, absolutely corrupting the world, corrupting the power we influenced upon them. Giving absolute power to Viki, saw her attempts to corrupt the world completely, which goes to show how power should be shared. This film ends with the realization that Viki killed Dr. Lanning. Killing Dr. Lanning allowed her to further in her motive, which could ultimately lead to her taking over the world. The well-thought out plan could have led her to controlling the world, but reflecting the original quote, no event can be absolutely set in-stone as you cannot completely control what is yet to come. We realize that corruption cannot happen when you realize it and stop it from happening e.g. Viki did not receive her motive to destroy and take over the world as Spooner and Dr. Calvin found the solution to stop it. The most significant symbol throughout this film is the book, Hazel and Gretel in Dr. Lannings laboratory. This book, featuring the story about breadcrumbs, is powerful as it leads Spooner and Dr. Calvin to the truth. A nursery rhyme itself may not mean much, however in this context, Spooners ability to work out the significance of it, makes it seem powerful. The holographic projector is a re-occurring motif seen throughout the movie. The projector is a powerful motif which acts as a guide to Spooners quest of finding the necessary answers. Dr. Lannings pre-ordered messages unlocked by Spooner asking the right questions. The power of the projector is that it led Spooner to look into the question asked, eventually finding out the truth and solving the mystery. In I-Robot, the character features are quite conventional. Spooner, like Othello, is seen as the hero of the movie. He is the leader of the journey to finding the truth about not only Dr. Lannings death but an even bigger problem affecting society. A true leader, like Spooner, continues to fight despite of everyone doubting him about his theories, which in fact turned out to be correct after all. Spooner is powerful and does not let other powers corrupt him due to his ability to not be influenced by others emotions, along with making the right choices for himself. Dr. Calvin is seen as the heroin in this movie who accompanies the hero. She had the power, knowledge and skill to create robots. Her knowledge was a major contributor to robotic destruction. Although it seems that she has the power over robots, it seems as though robotic power has corrupted her physically e.g. her posture and ability to show no emotion. As a film, techniques such as close-ups or long shots can be used by the director to focus on the main points and ideas, influencing meaning e.g. the opening scene had stated the three laws, understandably it is there, in the opening for its significance. Using colour as a re-occurring motif is often seen through films, to represent meaning. The beginning of the film shows a red core, which may be considered as a sign of loss, conflict and ultimately power.

All the aspects of both the film and play can differ, however, there are also similarities amongst them. Both Othello and I-Robot highlight the significance of power which can potentially corrupt everything. Characterisation within the film and play can link to one another in terms of their behaviour and actions. Othello and Spooner can be associated with each other as both are represented as the heroes in the story. Although both are focused leaders, Othello lets love and jealousy in particular, to get in the way of his talent. They both abuse power for own motives, with Spooner blaming and hurting Sonny without evidence and Othello killing Desdemona. Dr. Calvin and Desdemonas characters can be portrayed as the heroines. Desdemona had power over Othello in the end by forgiving him despite of the fact of being innocent. Dr. Calvins power reflected her continued aid to Spooner and solving the mystery. However, both heroines abuse their power by being oblivious to the situations. For example, Dr. Calvin being oblivious to the fact that robots could endanger the human species and Desdemona trapping herself while helping a friend, oblivious to the fact of Othellos growing jealousy. Viki and Iago can be considered as the villain of both texts. Each can manipulate, harm and control people by targeting their weaknesses. Power for both characters is received through power given by others e.g. Viki given power by humans and Iago by the oblivious characters surrounding him.

In conclusion, composers have successfully explored the concepts of power, characterised power play within texts and portrayed characters using and abusing their power for their own motives, highlighting the original quote. The ability to inflict power and corrupt another can work both ways with the one being inflicted of the power standing up and overpowering the inflictor. Power itself is enough to destroy another person/ persons, however, those that decide to let it overpower themselves are the ones who suffer the most. As seen in both texts, absolute power could not be achieved as future actions cannot be one hundred per cent predictable, things change and people change. In saying this, power is necessary for a society to function, but power must be shared to have peace in the world.

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