William Shakespeare
Life, History, and Othello
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The Beginning…
Baptized: April 26th 1564
Birthday is not exactly known,
although most believe it was
April 23rd
This is a convenient date
because: 1) this is the date of
his death and 2) this is the
feast day of St. George, the
patron saint of England.
Even if this date is incorrect, it
is very likely the D.O.B. would
be within a day or two of this
date because parents were
quick to get a child baptized.
Twenty percent of all children
under the age of one would die
in this time period.
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Life in 1564, not just for
infants, was very vulnerable.
If one made it to 15, one
would likely make it to 50.
But, no more than 60% of
people at this time made it
past their teens.
For example, in 1563 one
year before Shakespeare’s
birth, an outbreak of plague
claimed over one third of the
population of London.
In addition to the plague
fire, starvation, and
weakened immune systems
were a serious threat to
peoples health.
Rough times…
At Home
Shakespeare was one
of 8 children, two of
whom did not survive
their 1st year.
 One died at age 8,
another at age 27, and
the remaining four
siblings died between
ages 39- Shakespeare’s
own 52.
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In Entire Country
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There were often rumors of
invasion and civil war.
The Protestant Queen
Elizabeth assumed the crown
after her Catholic half-sister
Mary died.
Nobody was completely sure
Elizabeth could provide
prosperity while facing the
dual threat of powerful
Catholic Monarchies and some
of her own population who
were reluctant to give up their
religion.
Personal information…
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At the time of Shakespeare’s birth England
was still poor and backwards. English itself
was a minor language, barely spoken outside
of the country’s borders.
Religious struggle was prominent in society.
Protestantism was trying to establish itself as
the national religion while Catholicism was
trying to re-establish itself as the national
religion.
In 1570 Pope Pius V excommunicated Queen
Elizabeth.
Elizabethan England: The world in
which Shakespeare was born…
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Although dark and dreary, the landscape of
England would dramatically change.
In the course of Shakespeare’s life England
went from a backwards and unsophisticated
nation to a confident, prosperous, and global
presence.
Although Shakespeare is very popular today
and some view this time period as “The Age
of Shakespeare,” the change within England
is accountable to the queen.
This was Elizabethan England.
Elizabethan England continued…
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Elizabeth thought stability
was her greatest
responsibility.
She surrounded herself with
talented counselors.
Religion was very important.
It was not largely voluntary
as it is today. Obedience to
religion was not only a
matter of conscience but one
of law.
This fact consistently divided
the nation.
She achieved temporary
stability, defeated Spain in
battle, and established
England as a world power.
Queen Elizabeth and her England
Queen Elizabeth’s
England
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The world in which
we live shapes our
identities.
The troubling
landscape along with
a prospering people
creates an
environment where
drama can thrive.
Shakespeare
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Shakespeare wrote in a time
when his country was
prosperous and influential, but
at the same time England had
deep-rooted divisions of
means, faiths, and allegiances.
As David Kastan states
“Arguably this is the very
condition of great dramasufficient peace and prosperity
to support a theater industry
and sufficient provocation in
the troubling uncertainties
about what the nation was and
what fundamentally mattered
to its people.”
Why is this significant?
Father: John Shakespeare who in 1568
became a bailiff (a position equal to
mayor).
 Mother: Mary Arden was from an old
family who owned land (a step up the
social ladder for John).
 They lived in Stratford-upon-Avon.
 Although no school records exist, it is
commonly believed Shakespeare attended
grammar school here.
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A brief look at Shakespeare’s life..
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Shakespeare did not go to the university, so
he learned much from the local school.
At 18 he married Anne Hathaway.
Then… the next 8 years are a mystery. Until
we see Shakespeare’s name show up in the
London theater records there is no concrete
proof where he was.
In 1592 a fellow dramatist Robert Green left
a pamphlet on his deathbed criticizing
Shakespeare. This is the first mention of
Shakespeare in the London theater scene.
Shakespeare’s life continued…
Once he established himself in England he
became very wealthy and successful.
 He worked with the Lord Chamberlain’s
company of players who later became the
King’s men.
 They had the best actor, Richard Burbage;
they had the best theatre, the Globe
(finished by the autumn of 1599); they
had the best dramatist, Shakespeare.
 In 1597 he bought a large home called
“New Place” in Stratford.
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Shakespeare’s life continued..
Lets face it:
Shakespeare can be
difficult to read.
 Seeing the play makes
it easier because actors
use gestures to help
understanding with the
difficult words.
 Shakespeare
sometimes uses words
that are no longer
currently used in
English or words whose
meanings have
changed.
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And now…Shakespeare’s
Language!!! Yeeaaah!
Shakespeare is difficult for us, and it was difficult
for people when he lived.
 Shakespeare’s words make what is demanded of
us (understanding the story) easier.
 His stage had no sets and few props, so his
words are all we have to enable us to imagine
what his characters see.
 The most deceptive words are words that we
know but mean something different. There are
many words that can mislead us: “his”
sometimes means “its,” “an” often means “if,”
“envy” means something more like “malice.”
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Words, Words, Words
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Some meanings can be difficult, but keep in
mind that Shakespeare is the source of a great
many words in English.
Sometimes he coined them himself, or, if he
didn't invent them, he was the first person
whose writing of them has survived.
Assassination, bedroom, countless, fashionable,
frugal, laughable, lonely, and useful are some
that he made popular.
His working vocabulary, about 18,000 words, is
staggering.
He was the first person to use about 1000 of
these.
Words, Words, Words
Shakespeare’s words usually work in this
way: in part describing what the
characters see and as often betraying
what they feel.
 The words are poetic: everything matters.
When a character says something that
might be considered redundant it is up to
the reader to interpret this as
Shakespeare’s way of implying
significance to the words used.
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More Words…
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Shakespeare is distinctive
because most of his
writing is in verse.
Almost all of his works
mix poetry and prose, but
the poetry dominates.
In most of his plays about
70% of his lines are
written in verse.
Shakespeare’s
characteristic verse-lining
in non-rhyming iambic
pentameter (blank verse).
Shakespeare’s verse
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This means ten syllables with every second one
stressed.
“Methought I was enamored of an ass.”
“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks.”
In both examples the line has ten syllables organized
into five regular beats.
Each beat consisting of the stress on the second
syllable of a pair, as in “But soft,” the da-dum rhythm
forming an “iamb.”
Although this may seem like a strict set of rules,
Shakespeare’s verse is usually flexible, allowing a
range of rhythmical effects.
This type of verse simply forces the reader to stress
the words that Shakespeare deemed the most
important.
What does this mean?
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Although Shakespeare’s plays are dominated
by verse, prose plays a significant role.
His prose has its own rhythms, but it lacks
the formal patterning of verse, so it is printed
without line breaks and without the capitals
that mark the beginning of the verse line.
Shakespeare commonly used verse and prose
as a social marker.
Upper-class characters speak in verse; lowerclass characters speak in prose.
And Words finally… prose
And Now… Othello
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Shakespeare’s Othello uses both realism and
symbolism to produce powerful dramatic
effects.
On the one hand, the tragedy is a study in
the psychology of deception and jealousy.
What makes Othello an enduring work of art
is the realistic presentation of all-too human
passions and actions.
Iago, Othello, and Desdemona are not only
characters, they are embodiments of larger
concepts such as evil, difference, and
innocence.
Othello
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Characters….
Othello - The play’s
protagonist and hero. A
Christian Moor and general of
the armies of Venice, Othello
is an eloquent and physically
powerful figure, respected by
all those around him. In spite
of his elevated status, he is
nevertheless easy prey to
insecurities because of his
age, his life as a soldier, and
his race. He possesses a “free
and open nature,” which his
ensign Iago uses to twist his
love for his wife, Desdemona,
into a powerful and
destructive jealousy (I.iii.381).
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Desdemona - The daughter
of the Venetian senator
Brabanzio. Desdemona and
Othello are secretly married
before the play begins. While
in many ways stereotypically
pure and meek, Desdemona
is also determined and selfpossessed. She is equally
capable of defending her
marriage, jesting bawdily
with Iago, and responding
with dignity to Othello’s
incomprehensible jealousy
Desdemona
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Iago
Iago - Othello’s ensign (a
job also known as an ancient
or standard-bearer), and the
villain of the play. Iago is
twenty-eight years old. While
his ostensible reason for
desiring Othello’s demise is
that he has been passed over
for promotion to lieutenant,
Iago’s motivations are never
very clearly expressed and
seem to originate in an
obsessive, almost aesthetic
delight in manipulation and
destruction.
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Michael Cassio - Othello’s
lieutenant. Cassio is a young
and inexperienced soldier,
whose high position is much
resented by Iago. Truly
devoted to Othello, Cassio is
extremely ashamed after being
implicated in a drunken brawl
on Cyprus and losing his place
as lieutenant. Iago uses
Cassio’s youth, good looks,
and friendship with
Desdemona to play on
Othello’s insecurities about
Desdemona’s fidelity.
Michael Cassio
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Emilia - Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s
attendant.
Roderigo - A jealous suitor of Desdemona.
Bianca - A courtesan, or prostitute, in
Cyprus. Bianca’s favorite customer is Cassio.
Brabanzio - Desdemona’s father.
Duke of Venice
Montano - The governor of Cyprus before
Othello.
Lodovico - One of Brabanzio’s kinsmen.
Graziano - Brabanzio’s kinsman who
accompanies Lodovico to Cyprus.
Clown - Othello’s servant.
And the rest…