Isolation In Othello And The Social Network

1505 Words7 Pages
Isolation is a theme commonly illustrated across many texts. Setting is the most important factor that contributes to the completeness of a story. This report will investigate the connections of settings and the causes and consequences of isolation across four texts, ‘Othello’, ‘The Imitation Game’, ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’ and ‘The Social Network’. ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare is a timeless tragedy. It is the tragic love story between Othello, an African American general, and Desdemona, a noble lady of Venice. It was set during the Venetian and Turkish war in the 16th century, a significant time at the start of the slave trade. Age, race, and experience constantly undermine their relationship. Racism is important to the…show more content…
Many heroic stories are set during this time. ‘The Imitation game’ directed by Morten Tyldum, tells the story of Alan Turing, a Cambridge mathematics alumnus, who was recruited by the British Intelligence Agency to crack the Nazi’s code known as Enigma. This effectively won the war for the Allied Forces. Interestingly, both ‘The Imitation Game’ and ‘Othello’ are set during the time of war, setting the theme of lost and despair, which corresponds to the terrible destinies of the protagonists from both texts. Moreover, the main setting of the film is Bletchley Park, a British secret camp, symbolising his isolation from the outside world, (similar to the setting of ‘Othello’ on the island of Cyprus.) Essentially, Turing invented and developed the computer and the concept of artificial intelligence. Sadly, his machine was never perfected, though it generated a whole field of research into what became known as "Turing Machines."(Today’s "computers”) Yet, his aptitude set him apart from other people. Turing’s isolation is caused by autism, a mental condition characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships. Alongside his mental condition, Turing’s homosexuality was also an isolating feature. Both Othello and Turing are isolated by their differences, creating juxtaposition to the social norm. However, Alan Turing was a historic proof that “one’s sexuality has no bearing on one’s accomplishments.” Turing named his enigma decryption machine after Christopher, his boy crush who passed away, showing an emotional connection between him, Christopher and the machine. Unfortunately, Turing found himself in the time where society held the greatest prejudice against homosexuals. “Between 1885 and 1967, approximately 49,000 homosexual men were convicted of “gross indecency” under British law.” Turing’s resulting insecurity is similar to how racism, at its worst time, affected Othello. “After a year
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    component of any text. In the following texts, I will look at isolation as a result of the conflict in the characters lives. The four texts, Othello by William Shakespeare, The Social Network directed by David Fincher, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinder all relate to these points. The main character in Shakespeare’s play deals with isolation and conflict within himself. Othello was a General of the Venetian Army yet an older man of Moorish

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