Othello Webquest
Mr. Czarnecki
A Brief History: Elizabethan England
• Who was Queen of England during the time
Shakespeare began to write? Who ruled after
her? Give the approximate dates of the
Elizabethan period.
– Elizabethan Timeline
• Describe London during this time. Note 3
other interesting facts about Elizabethan
England.
– Life in Elizabethan England
The Role of Women
The women in Othello play an
interesting role in this drama. To fully
understand their place in Elizabethan
society, answer the following quesitons
The Role of Women
• Describe the status of women. How would a
young woman respond to a request from her
father? What were practices and ideas relating
to marriage and family?
– The Role of Women
– Love and Marriage
Racial Issues
Using the web sites below, find information about
the Moors (Othello’s people), the Turks (or
Ottoman Empire, the invading party), and other
“outsiders” to the Elizabethans. As you read,
consider the relevance of this play in 21st century
America and the world.
Racial Issues
• Who were the Moors? From where did they
come? What were they doing in Europe in the
sixteenth century? What religious or cultural
practices are associated with them?
– InfoPlease: Moors
– A Cultural Context for Othello
• What was the Elizabethan attitude toward
foreigners in general and non-Christians—
such as Turks—in particular?
– Outsiders
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.
Setting
• Historically, what was going on in the latter
half of the 1500s in Venice? What was the
culture like?
– History of Venice
– The Venetian Republic
• Describe the Venetians’ relationship with
Cyprus during the 1570s.
– The Ottomans in Europe