A Comparison of Orlando and Othello Essay -- comparison compare contra

Orlando and Othello         In her novel Orlando A Biography, Virginia Woolf draws upon Shakespeares Othello to both enhance the images inside her novel through allusion and further Orlandos character development using juxtaposition. Spanning about 400 years, motley historical eras, and gender ambiguity in the characters, Orlando is certainly not a traditional novel. Thus, it follows that its use of historical information and literature breaks from convention as well. This is true for Woolfs use of Shakespeares Othello. While the play is drawn upon in various contexts, from character traits to plot line, Woolf carefully places her allusions such that they support her plot line at one moment while they may be inconsistent at another.   This works well within her novel because as she breaks from convention by utilizing multiple timelines and shifts in gender and sex for her characters she is able to shift in her parallels from the characters in Othello to the characters of Orlando.  These shifts accent the changes she is making within her characters and plot line and also force the reader to break with the long standing views of gender and otherness established in Shakespeares work.           During the first half of Orlando A Biography, Woolf clearly draws off of the play Othello. At times this is clearer than others. In both Orlando and Othello, there is little reference to Othello by name. He is referred to instead by an ethnic background--he is the Moor. One might question the certainty of the Moor representing the figure Othello in the novel Orlando. In the case of the play, it is quite lucid that Othello is being referred ... ...his ideal of love. Orlando is jealous because of actions he observed Sasha make. While it seems that he would have more of a reason to be upset, he does not regaining the same magnitude of action. While is does have a long term effect on his life, he eventually mo ves on with his life instead of destroying it.     1 Orlando, pg. 13 2 Orlando, pg. 15 5m 3 Haines-Wright, Lisa and Kyle, Tracy L.  Fluid Sexuality in Virginia Woolf Virginia Woolf Texts and Contexts New York, NY Pace University Press, 1996 4 Byles, Joan M. The Winters Tale, Othello and Troilus and Cressida Narcissism and Sexual Betrayal American reckon Studies in Psychoanalyss and Culture 36, no.1 81 5 Byles, Joan M. The Winters Tale, Othello and Troilus and Cressida Narcissism and Sexual Betrayal American Image Studies in Psychoanalyss and Culture 36, no.1 83