An analysis of ✨️Othello von Ryan✨️
Because Donnie has been my favorite ninja turtle for years, I love Shakespeare and have specifically been on an Othello kick recently
Disclaimer: this is not to equate the real experiences of pocs and the racism discussed in Othello with the experience of being nonhuman; this is the context of the allusion to Othello in regards to Donnie's character and the Purple Jacket Episode
OKAY time for the fun part
So Donnie quotes Shakespeare quite a few times in Rise. In Lair Games, he quotes Hamlet: "to thine own self BEAT LEO." In the Purple Jacket episode when he's letting go of the jacket he combines two: "Fare thee well, my synthetic darling, I hardly knew ye (a misquotation of Hamlet's "Alas Poor Yorrick" speech) but parting is such sweet-" (Romeo and Juliet Act 2 scene 2). Which makes sense, he enjoys books, of course he's gonna quote the BARD of all authors
But his choice to name himself Othello von Ryan when introducing himself to the Purple Dragons is very important. I don't know if "von Ryan" is an allusion to anything, so I'm gonna stick to the Othello part because that's straightforward.
When the episode starts, Donnie is telling April that she's lucky to go to school and sees it as a place of intellectual superiority that he is barred from being, you know, a mutant ninja turtle. He can't go anywhere without being disguised, and, clearly, by this episode and in general, he wants to fit in with people he thinks he can relate to. It is basically jealousy, which is a major theme of Othello.
Donnie has this underlying jealousy and insecurity in Rise especially. He worries that if mystic powers can do what he can, the others won't need him anymore. He craves external validation, specifically from adults, and when the opportunity arises to fit in, he takes it.
The idea of jealousy stemming from not belonging is in Othello, too. One of the strings Iago pulls on is Othello's interracial marriage to Desdemona, the fact that she deceived her father to be with him, his status as an outsider for being a Moor, etc. He uses a lot of stereotypes to make his point, and it makes Othello nervous, resulting in jealousy. Not just about Othello's status, but Cassio and Desdemona's, too. He sets himself up as a trustworthy influence, and Othello becomes reliant on him for the supposed "truth." When Desdemona, Emilia, or Lodovico try to argue that Desdemona does not deserve Othello's cruel treatment of her, he doesn't listen because Iago has complete control over Othello's perception of reality.
Where Othello sees Iago as a source of trust, Donnie sees the Purple Dragons as a source of acceptance. So he doesn't listen to April's warning about them (that were grossly understated) and ends up being betrayed and having his tech stolen to be used for crime. Of course, since this is not a Shakespearean tragedy, things work out for him, and he still has acceptance with April, but there's similar sort of ideas.
The handkerchief and the jacket also prove this. In the play, the handkerchief was given to Desdemona by Othello, and it was initially for his mother, who wanted him to give it to his wife. It is a symbol of devotion, loyalty, and, most of all, security. So when Iago gets his grubby little racist hands on it, everything starts to backfire. The jacket is a symbol of societal acceptance and validation. Donnie has to give it up at the end of the episode because the acceptance of the Purple Dragons was not good for him. Both objects are representative of what Othello and Donnie want and it is turned against them by people who want to use them for their own gain. In Rise, by giving it out under false premises and likewise in the play, by taking it away.
It's a pretty neat detail because of COURSE Donnie's cover name is an allusion to classic literature (and one from the Renaissance like the artist he gets his name from). And there's a lot of meaning you can get from it, especially with how the episode plays out
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