Commonplace Blog - Othello and The Traitors TV Show

 Othello - William Shakespeare


OTHELLO: Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore!

                     Be sure of it. Give me the ocular proof, 

                     Or by the worth of mine eternal soul, 

                     Thou hadst been better been born a dog

                     Than answer my naked wrath,

IAGO:          Is't come to this?

OTHELLO: Make me see't, or at least so prove it

                    That the probation bear no hinge nor loop 

                    To hand a doubt on, or woe upon thy life! (3.3.411-419)


The Traitors Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRrDWrPl5E0


I have been watching a new reality show recently called The Traitors in which a group of people stay in a castle together playing a game. Each player holds the title of "faithful", and three players are chosen to be "traitors". The whole point of this game is for the traitors to convince the faithfuls that they too are faithful and telling the truth in hopes that innocent players are voted off the show. This scene in Othello really reminded me of The Traitors, because Iago's bad intentions feel like he is a traitor attempting to manipulate Othello into thinking Desdemona and Cassio need to be "voted" off. The way that Othello begins with saying he wants to see proof with his own eyes, but so quickly switches to saying Iago needs to just make him believe is similar to how the players act on this show. Nobody needs definite proof, just to be convinced, and then they will make rash decisions to claims that are not provable. This feels eerily similar to the ending of Othello, as well as the conversation being had in Act 3, Scene 3. 


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