When making a comparative analysis of fiction, one cannot overlook the key element of setting that has a powerful effect on the entire work. The drastic contrast of setting in Shakespeare's Othello and the movie "O" implies very different overall attitudes.
             In William Shakespeare's play Othello, we are faced with a war setting with increased military and social tension present. All of the characters in Othello are portrayed as mature adults. In the movie "O," a rendition of Othello, a much different scene set in a high school in which an intense competition is taking place among the basketball team. In contrast, the characters in "O" are high school students showing much immaturity. While the reason for this variation in setting remains unknown, one popular suggestion is that the film company wanted to appeal to a younger crowd.
             The evident parallel between the battlefield and the basketball court played a key role in transforming Shakespeare's early modern English play from the 1600s to a major motion picture that today's society can relate to and comprehend. In the Shakespearean play, Othello, the main character was a decorated general that had led his army to many victories and was looked highly upon by the government officials. Although he was crafted as a grand perfection of humanity, we see the exact opposite qualities surface when he allows himself to be swayed to the dark side. In "O," Oden James, the equivalent of Shakespeare's Othello, is a star basketball player with limitless talent that is highly recruited. He is one of the most popular guys at his high school, envied by most. Likable and friendly, viewers see "O" as an all-around good guy, until that goodness is later deteriorated into pure evil.
             The fact that in Othello the characters were older makes it more believable that they had the potential to become so corrupt and cap...