Shakespeare diehards might have left the Arts Council theatre in Karachi with some reservations after the recently performed Othello by Napa's graduating students from Dec 14-18. Full justice needs to be done while staging Shakespeare's plays, for as timeless as they are, they always emit a clear meaning out of the chaos.

Shakespeare's Othello is not just about planting the seeds of jealousy and mire but also about a plethora of emotions, sensibilities and insecurities. Moreover, the brave moor of Venice, who is also an African Black, is shown to have gained the respect and honour in a society that had minimal or no respect for black people.

 The Plot

Emerging as a warrior par excellence, Othello's tales of courage and valour that he narrates to the senator Brabantio fascinate the latter. He enjoys listening to them thoroughly at his house where his beautiful daughter, Desdemona, taken in by the feats of bravery, falls for the black commander.

The news of Othello and Desdemona's secret marriage shocks Brabantio no end, who seeks justice by approaching the Duke of Venice. He reconciles with it after Desdemona testifies that she is madly in love with Othello and wants to spend the rest of her life with him. However Iago invokes jealousy in Othello when he cites false examples of Desdemona's involvement with the handsome army officer, Cassio. Iago's ulterior motives lurk from his sheer resentment for the latter who is made the army commander, superseding his own right to the position.

These insecurities lead to a cesspool of well-planned controversies Othello's irrevocable love for Desdemona wavers as she pleads for Cassio's reinstatement in the army after a brawl secretly instigated by Iago. Othello's composure as the brave and intrepid commanding officer disarrays into crass every time he faces Desdemona or Cassio. Eventually, Othello ends up murdering his beloved.

 The Play

Veteran writer Sajjad Zaheer translated Othello into Urdu with beautiful metaphors and appropriate terms and words. It was a pleasure to listen to the dialogues delivered by the Napa students trained in emphasising proper accent and pronunciation.

The roles were played out well individually, but the brewing crisis perhaps required more integration. Othello's insecurities stem from the fact that he is black, despite the brave exterior. Iago finds this to be the perfect ground to sow the seeds of jealousy. Shan Sheikh's portrayal of Othello was apt, but he was less black and more handsome for the Othello normally envisioned. Mahvish Siddiuque (Desdemona) convincingly acted the beautiful dame unbeknownst of a fateful end. While Cassio (Zain Nazar) affably supported the brew and Roderigo (Shan Mohammad) added fuel to fire, it was Iago (Nazul Hasan) who acted evil with conviction. His facial expressions and conduct were consistent with the vile intentions he harboured deep inside of him. Nazrul Hasan ably demonstrated that goodness all around can be polluted by a bad soul that suddenly upsets a peaceful world.

Director Ali Abbas may have kept the onus focused on just showing “good Othello” turned evil due to jealousy, but it needed more conviction. Othello played into the hands of evil due to the 'green-eyed monster', but he had also reveled in the fact that the beautiful Desdemona had married him and so the thought of her deceiving him was unbearable. He was a good man when he was in love and his integrity began to disintegrate when he became evil. This somehow was not clearly portrayed in the play.

The Napa students have made a commendable mark on the performing arts. With practice and more plays, it is hoped that they will also start delving into the nuances of various works in literature. We also hope to see more of Shakespeare then.