As Othello, Laurence Olivier pleads with the Venetian nobles to tell the true account of his actions and motivations. Olivier's words seem almost pleading, suggesting that he is an outsider seeking approval from those with foreign sympathies. At the beginning of his speech, his behavior bears little resemblance to that of Laurence Fishburne's Othello, whose quiet but confident dignity, courteous but firm, dictates the judgment he makes about himself. Speaking in emphatic tones, Fishburne's speech defines Othello as someone who considers himself an equal, if not an equal. The juxtaposition of these two performances offers contrasting possibilities for the interpretation of Shakespeare's final scene in Othello; together with the text, it suggests an ultimate duality in the protagonist's perception of his relationship with others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Othello's murder of Desdemona can, in a way, be traced to his insecurities about being different in a society of polite white Venetians. Tragically, it is only too late that Othello realizes that his difference had no diminishing effect on Desdemona's love for him and should have had no influence on his love for her. Having come to this realization, Othello appeals to the Venetian nobles: "Speak of me as I am. No extenuating circumstances, / Nor attribute anything with malice. Then must you speak / Of one who loved not wisely but too well" (5.2. 351-353 ). Othello's capacity for love, even if realized too late, suggests a certain nobility. At the same time, Othello makes this appeal because he realizes that others may associate his lack of wisdom with darkness and further associations of baseness and ignoble difference. While realizing that others may continue to judge, Othello seems to come to terms with his difference. . Aware but no longer aware of his outsider status, Othello compares himself to foreigners; he calls himself "the vile Indian, [who] threw away a pearl" (5.2.356) and one "though unaccustomed to the melting mood, / Drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees" (5.2.358-359) . Othello also compares his impending suicide to his earlier killing of "a malignant, turbaned Turk / [who had] beaten a Venetian and defamed the state" (5.2.362-362). Paradoxically, Othello is at the same time an attacker and defender of the Venetian state. As Desdemona's murderer, he is like the Turk who transgresses moral and state laws; By taking his own life, however, Othello follows the letter of the law. The latter qualifies him as belonging to the Venetian circle, despite being a stranger. At the same time victim and executioner, transgressor and avenger, Othello has a dual relationship with the world of nobles and courtiers. An exaggerated representation of this duality can be seen through a comparison between Olivier and Fishburne's interpretations of Othello's suicide. Olivier's Othello kills himself in violent defiance – a perhaps desperate attempt to prove that he can match the supposedly higher morality of white men by avenging Desdemona's death. Implicit is Othello's belief that others think he is different and vile. By contrast, Fishburne's Othello takes his own life with a graceful stoicism, as if he were a dignified agent enforcing a law he supports along with other whites. Implicit is his assumption that he possesses a level of moral and other equality corresponding to that of those who witnessed his death. Please note: this is just an example. Get a personalized document now come on.