Ave Zakai Taylor-Kelley -- Othello

   This is mostly OK but I was hoping you would see that the Sanlikol opera's
   plot is related to the Shakespeare plot by a series of substitutions or 
   reversals in the Venice-Turkey relationship, or in the basic traits of 
   characters or the relationships between characters.  These all have the effect 
   of shining a light on those relationships "from the other side," so to speak.  
   For instance:

      Shakespeare                                Sanlikol

      Venice's "colony" on Cyprus is             Turkey's "colony" on Cyprus
      potentially under attack by Turkey         is potentially under attack by Venice

      Othello is a black Moorish warrior         Sumbul is a black eunuch 
      for Venice                                 who tries to negotiate peace for 
                                                 Turkey
   
      Desdemona is daughter of a senator         Suzan is a slave
 
      Iago is motivated mostly by hate           Frenk Mustafa is motivated
      for Othello (and Cassio)                   mostly by love for Suzan   

   There are several other substitutions or reversals of this type too.    

   If anything, I think the white/black, light/dark, ... dichotomies are less
   prominent in the opera than in the play.  Mehmet Ali Sanlikol is more interested
   in trying to show a bit of what Ottoman Turkey was like because there's also
   a big cultural border between the Christian West (represented by Venice) and
   the Muslim East (represented by Ottoman Turkey).  The highlighting of Turkish
   classical musical styles and instruments is one of the reasons I am saying that.  
   The way the audience was brought into the opera as customers in a coffee-house
   in Istanbul and the role of the storyteller is another piece of evidence for 
   saying this, I think.  

   One technical point: In discussing the two works together, it is not really correct 
   to say "Othello in the opera," etc.  The reason I'm saying that is that the characters in
   the opera all have their own names, none of which is the same as in the Shakespeare
   play.  

   Grade:  85 (B)