The comparisons between Othello and
O lie mainly in the cultural expectations of their tragic heroes.
For Othello to accomplish what he did, given the time period, is truly heroic; Odin, on
the other hand, only accomplishes what was already expected of
him.
For Othello, (black-a-Moor, non-Christian, former
slave) to marry a white senator's daughter and become a military general of an overseas
army is unheard of. It could only happen on stage.
For
Odin to have a relationship with a white basketball coach's daughter and become captain
of the team is not uncommon. In post-civil rights American, many male black athletes
have high profile relationships/marriages to famous white women (Tony Parker and Eva
Longoria).
The Othello in the play is under much more
pressure, as a result. Not only is he on an island (literally and figuratively), but he
is at war, and he is at then mercy of one of the greatest masterminds in literature
(Iago). His tragedy is much more real because the stakes are
higher.
On the other hand, Odin is not married, not in a
war, not away from home, not in a life and death situation, and not in a major
leadership role. Basketball is not life or death: it's recreation. Since he is the
"big man on campus," he can always date another girl of beauty and status. What's the
worst that will happen to him? He won't start a game? Maybe not get a Division I
scholarship? The movie is not a real tragedy; it's a melodrama (semblance of
tragedy).
The only caveat that I love in the movie is its
depiction of steroid use. Since it came out in the early 2000s, the peak of steroid use
in baseball and cycling, its users do portray a real rage and a sense of inferiority.
Ironically, I thought Odin should have been taking them instead of the Iago character,
since more pressure was on him to perform well on the court.
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