What is tragedy?
 Shakespearean tragedy
 First performed by the King’s
Men on November 1, 1604 (about
midway through Shakespeare’s
career)
 Set in Venice and Cyprus but
influenced by events in
Shakespeare’s native England
 The story of Othello, the Moor
and a Venetian general, who
marries Desdemona, a Venetian
senator’s (Brabantio’s) daughter,
and is destroyed by Iago,
Othello’s jealous ensign.
 Othello’s intended ethnicity is debated…
 During Shakespeare’s time a Moor was a synonym for “African”—not
necessarily negative in connotation
 Originally meant a “native of Mauritania,” a country in northern
Africa
 Also applied to the Arab or Berber peoples of northern Africa who
were Muslim and lived in Spain; not always dark-skinned
 Most commonly refers to a Muslim of mixed Arab and Berber
(Northern African) descent
 …but no matter how you slice it, he was an outsider in Venetian
culture based on his culture and appearance.
 Racism was accepted as part of public life in 17th century
England
 Non-white peoples were widely considered to be savage
 The white characters often say racist things which
contrasts with the fact that Othello is anything but inferior
(very Huckleberry Finn-esque)
 Guiding Question: How does inferiority and racism
ultimately lead to Othello’s downfall?
 Set in Venice
 For the Elizabethans, Italians
were wicked, murderous,
and of loose morals
 Italian characters=evil; Italy
as a setting=romantic, exotic,
sinful
 Venetian stereotypes:
 Women: sexually
promiscuous
 Men: hot-tempered,
aggressive, easily jealous
 Spain=England’s worst
enemy
 Iago=Spanish name=EVIL
VILLAIN!!!
 Thematic Ideas
 Appearance vs. reality
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and manipulation
Society’s treatment of
the outsider
The causes and effects of
jealousy
The causes and effects of
hatred
Love and the military
The danger of isolation
Race
Gender
 Motifs
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Sight/blindness
Animals
Plants
Hell/demons/monsters
 Symbols
 The handkerchief
 The song “Willow”
Drama
Plot
Tragedy
Tragic Hero
Tragic Flaw