P-36 Iago as Moral Other in Jonathan Munby’s Production of Othello (2016)

Jonathan Munby produced a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in Spring of 2016. While continuing to utilize Shakespeare’s language, Munby modernized Othello through the use of contemporary military costumes, props, accents, music, and dance. Munby did not limit his adaptation to solely visual and auditory aspects of Othello, but also took the liberty of contemporizing the principle of “otherness” in the play. This research explores the identification of Munby’s character of Iago as “Moral Other,” whose actions led to the fall of his wife, Emilia, a fellow officer, Roderigo, Desdemona, and the protagonist, Othello