Self-Reflexivity in Othello

Self-reflexivity, or a `self-reflexive' text can be defined as a structure which `looks back at itself ... and which sometimes breaks the boundaries between itself and the world' . Similarly a piece of self-reflexive work can also allow a text or a play to make an audience or reader aware that what they watch, or read, is actually not `real life' but instead a representation.

To fully grasp this concept of self-reflexivity, we should perhaps look at what some people suggest as the opposite of such a device: the `Classical Hollywood Narrative' is a technique used in most films to deceive the viewer into believing that what they are witnessing is indeed real life. The audience is then left as the voyeur over the proceedings on the screen. This will be examined later while considering Oliver Parker's screenplay.

However, in a play such as Shakespeare's Othello, some might argue that because it was designed for a stage and subjected to a live audience, it cannot help but be self reflexive. Indeed, in the prologue to Henry V, Shakespeare states that `Within this wooden O' of the Globe Theatre, he would `like your humble patience pray/Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play' . Even in this environment though, there are without doubt some pieces of speech which become even more self-reflexive, for example this extract from Act1, scene 3.

Due to Iago having previously convinced Roderigo to leave, Iago now has the attention of the entire audience. This makes Iago's speech a soliloquy and due to the fact that he speaks directly to the audience makes us, the viewer, aware of the self-reflexive nature of the play. We thus become aware that he is just a character in a play.

Another example which makes it obvious that Iago is embarking on a speech that will prove self-reflexive is the total change in tone once Roderigo leaves. Just previous to Iago's soliloquy, he and Roderigo converse quite freely about where they should meet. Here the speech is quite fast, indicated by the short sentences and questions, and presumably light hearted. However, once Roderigo leaves, Iago's lines suddenly vary in length from ten to eleven syllables in each line. This creates a felling of intensity in Iago's words which, combined with the diction revolving around himself, such as `Thus do I...', `For I mine own...,' and `If I would.