Othello WebQuest
“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.” –Act III sc iii
Meet the Cast:
On the site listed, explore the major characters of Othello. Give a brief character description of each.
Characters
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Othello:
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Iago:
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Desdemona:
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Emilia:
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Cassio:
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Roderigo:
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Brabrantio:
Background:
Othello was a respected general in the Venetian Army. He was also a “Moor.” He was born in the
country of Mauritania. To better understand Othello, you need to understand his background.
1. Where is Mauritania located? Othello's Homeland
2. What type of people inhabited this land? (ethnicity and religion)
3. What is a Moor? Moors
Setting:
The play begins in the prosperous city of Venice, Italy in approximately 1570. In Shakespeare’s time,
Venice would have been a very popular and well-known city, with various attitudes surrounding it. The
second half of the play takes place on the island of Cyprus. This island also had special significance to
the people of Shakespeare’s time.
4. Summarize what was going on in history at this time in Venice: Venice
5. Scroll down through the page and find the paragraph titled, “Wild Venice”: describe Venice
during Othello’s time:
6. Othello is put in charge of the military outpost at Cyprus. He is supposed to protect it from
impending attacks from the Turks (aka Ottomans). There were two main reasons that Cyprus
was important to Venice- religion and economy. Read the sections titled, “Turkish religious
wars,” and “War of Cyprus.”
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What is the religious significance:
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What are the economic considerations:
Race Issue:
Racism was a huge issue during Shakespeare’s time, and he would have known it. Othello being a black
character who marries a white woman, would have been a HUGELY scandalous plot for the Renaissance
times, and received tons of attention as a result.
7. Read the second and third paragraphs on the "Black Other" and consider the following
questions:
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How many times does Shakespeare use the word, “black” in the play?
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Who did Elizabethan people consider to be Moors?
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What is the basis for Othello’s discrimination?
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(next page) How were black people seen at this time?
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How does Shakespeare show this stereotype through his character’s words?
Women:
The role of women in this play is also a crucial one. In the sites below examine the roles and attitudes
about women and marriage at this time.
8. Give a general description about the role of women and marriage at this time:
Love and Marriage
9. For what two reasons would it have been a big deal that Desdemona and Othello get married?
10. What were some of the attitudes at the time regarding women and sex? Sex
11. In your books on pages 13 and 15 in the middle of each page Iago makes sexual references.
What does he say? Why are these quotes particularly offensive? How does it show the
stereotypical view of the time?
12. Under Task 3, read the quote from Brabrantio. In what ways does he show the stereotypes
around blacks at the time. How is his perception different than Iago’s?
Brabrantio
13. For fun: Hear the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s rap about Othello
Rap