Reflective Essay: Blog Edition!

Shakespeare portrays these basic human emotions in a way that all different kinds of people can relate to no matter where they are from or what time period they live in. A great example of this is Othello. One of the main themes of the play is jealousy and how it can tear apart even the strongest of relationships. When planted just right, the seed of jealousy can cause the most levelheaded, calculated people to act in barbaric, unbecoming ways. This theme is equally prevalent in two different sources from different time periods. The first is the play “The Phantom of the Opera”. The second is the movie “Moulin Rouge”. Even though the two were created almost one hundred years apart they both reflect the same theme of jealousy and just how destructive it can be, which Shakespeare created perfectly in Othello.

            The play “The Phantom of the Opera” actually has several origins. The first is the original French legend of the strange occurrences that took place in a theater thought to be haunted by a phantom that wreaked havoc throughout the building (Scott, Andy). To read the full legend click on the link here --> Phantom Legend. Then in 1911 a man by the name of Gaston Leroux published a book called Le Fantôme de l’Opéra. (Haining, Peter). This book was based on both the legend and his own discoveries upon visiting the famous opera house in Paris. His book was adapted into the now famous play and several movie renditions that have become an instant Broadway classic. The tale’s story of a disfigured, misunderstood man who falls in love with a chorus girl is certainly intriguing. He has been planning their relationship for months, even years, and now it seems she might finally begin to fall in love with him too. However, her childhood friend reappears, and she quickly begins to fall for him. The Phantom is hurt beyond belief when he comes to realize she was in love with his music, not him. He becomes insanely jealous of her love for Raoul, and begins to act out, trying to fight for her. Up until this point he has always been careful to hide himself and has always been in control of the theater and the people within it. However, his jealousy causes him to be careless and in the end he loses everything he had worked so hard to achieve. This parallels Othello quite well. Othello, like the Phantom had always been in control of everything and everyone. He was very calculated and reasonable. However, when he becomes jealous of Desdemona’s relationship with Cassio he goes insane, and ends up killing the woman he once loved so dearly (1361-462.). Both Othello and the Phantom had the chance to rekindle their love with the women they adored, but their jealousy blinded them of the facts, which ended up being their downfalls.

            Perhaps a somewhat more modern example of jealousy destroying a relationship is in the movie “Moulin Rouge” which was released in 2001 (IMDb). Ironically the movie is set in the time period of the early 1900s as well but it has a very modern twist, using songs from Nirvana to Madonna (IMDb). The entire cast list and song list can be found here --> Moulin Rouge. Besides being one of the most entertaining love stories with some of the best modern musical medleys, it also offers another great parallel to Othello and it’s theme of destructive jealousy. In this movie, The Duke falls hard for the beautiful courtesan Satine. Satine was more than willing to fake being in love with the Duke because she wanted him to make her a star. Then on the night she is supposed to be seducing him, she ends up accidentally falling for Christian, who she believes is the duke but is really nothing more than a poor writer. They fall in love though, and soon she is caught in a sticky situation. The Duke now believes she is in love with him and is now willing to create a new theater for the Moulin Rouge and back a very large production in which she is the star. The only catch is Satine must exclusively belong to the Duke. Normally the Duke is a quiet well-tempered man, but he reveals a side of himself that is insane with jealousy. The lovers try to hide their forbidden love, but when the Duke catches on he becomes outraged. He hurts Satine, threatens her, and even tries to kill her and Christian too. Though he didn’t really have a great chance of winning her back from the charming, alarmingly attractive writer, he ruined any chance he had by being so jealous. He went from being a calm and collected gentleman, to being a savage out for revenge through death. This is very similar to Othello who in fact did kill Desdemona to avenge his jealousy and her betrayal (1361-462.). 

The monologue given in the video above describes the themes of these plays and movie perfectly.

This link sends you to a lyrics page that has the dialogue for it ---> Le Tango De Roxanne Lyrics

            Shakespeare plays are considered some of the most timeless pieces of literature ever written. Everyone has heard of his work and most people have read or seen at least one of his plays. Other than the dialogue being kind of hard to understand, his works are well respected and liked by all. Just what makes Shakespeare’s plays so iconic and well accepted? After all today’s culture certainly doesn’t talk that way and there aren’t dukes and lords anymore. No, what really capture the attention of his audiences are the themes of his stories. Almost every person can relate to the basic themes or feelings of the characters. This ability has made his works into legendary standards that have become timeless and emulated by all different forms of art and entertainment. Whether it’s in a play from the 1900’s or a modern 21^st century movie musical, his themes are prevalent in all kinds of works throughout time, making his writing truly timeless.