“Othello”
An Introduction
“Othello” – A Shakespearean Tragedy
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“Othello” is a Shakespearean Tragedy
It encompasses elements of tragedies such as:
It ends with the death of numerous characters
including the title character
 It encompasses historical and military details
 The protagonist is admirable, but flawed, with the
audience able to understand and sympathise with the
character.
 The protagonist is capable of both good and evil
 Free will is insisted upon – the protagonist must
always be able to back out of a situation or to redeem
themselves – but always towards their inevitable
doom.
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The world’s greatest…
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By the time he’d written “Othello” (around 1604)
Shakespeare was considered the greatest playwright of
his day.
Many feel that Shakespeare's later plays show a darker,
more pessimistic view of the world than his early plays.
Under James I (his rule is referred to as the Jacobean
period), England lost some of its power and prosperity.
Too, conflicts between Catholics and Protestants led to
civil strife. Shakespeare's earlier plays reflected
Elizabeth's golden reign. By 1604, when Othello was first
produced, the headiness of the Elizabethan period was
recent history.
This is reflected in the fact that, unlike his other
tragedies, there is no resolution to the conflict caused at
the end of the play.
The Plot
The plot for Othello was
developed from a story in
Cinthio's collection, the
Hecatommithi, which it
follows closely. The only
named character in
Cinthio's story is
"Disdemona", which
means "unfortunate" in
Greek; the other
characters are identified
only as "the standardbearer", "the captain",
and "the Moor".
The first known
performance of the play
occurred on November 1st
1604 at Whitehall Palace
in London.
Othello – a moor
Othello is described in the
play as a moor, and a
general in the Venetian
Army.
The origin of the word
“moor” comes from the
word “mauri” which was
used to describe a group
of people called the
Berbers, who came from
North Africa.
What does it mean to be Moorish?
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Moors were characterised
in Elizabethan England as
being alternately or
simultaneously noble or
monstrous, civil or
savage.
It was often the case (in
literature) that a moor
was presented as
someone accepted by
society to a certain point,
but then rejected due to
other factors.
Iago
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Iago is one of Shakespeare’s
most sinister villains, often
considered so because of the
unique trust Othello puts in
him, which he betrays while
maintaining his reputation of
honesty and dedication.
Shakespeare contrasts Iago
with Othello’s nobility and
integrity.
Iago is a malcontent – he has
a bitter and cyncial view of the
world around him.
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The name Iago is a shortened
version of the Spanish name
“Santiago” or “St James”.
Saint James of Spain was also
known as “St James the Moor
Killer” which seems
appropriate within the play.
Winning a fair lady…
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Men were expected to go
through distinct stages of
courtly love in order to woo a
woman.
It was thought that love wasn’t
entirely platonic, but that it
was based on sexual
attraction.
As the etiquette of courtly love
became more complicated, the
knight might wear the colours
of his lady: blue or black were
the colors of faithfulness;
green was a sign of
unfaithfulness.
The stages of courtly love:
 Attraction to the lady, usually via
eyes/glance
 Worship of the lady from afar
 Declaration of passionate devotion
 Virtuous rejection by the lady
 Renewed wooing with oaths of
virtue and eternal fealty
 Moans of approaching death from
unsatisfied desire (and other
physical manifestations of
lovesickness)
 Heroic deeds of valor which win
the lady's heart
 Consummation of the secret love
 Endless adventures and
subterfuges avoiding detection
The Wife’s Status
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A typical wife receiving her
instruction
The husband, in the accepted
role as head of the household,
gives moral direction to his
wife and children--who sit
obediently listening.
“Ye women, submit your
selves unto your own
husbands, as unto the Lord.
For the husband is the wife's
head, even as Christ is the
head of the Church, and he is
the saviour of the whole body.
Therefore as the Church in
congregation is subject unto
Christ: so likewise let the wives
be in subjection unto their own
husbands in all things” (“The
Book of Common Prayer”)
Evil Women!
In the Elizabethan times
there was a long and well
established tradition in
the Church of what we
would now call misogyny
– women were distrusted
simply because they were
women. At the time it
was assumed that women
would cheat – it was part
of their nature!
The men in “Othello”
have differing views of
women – from Othello
who idolizes his wife
(Desdemona) to Iago
who sees love as "merely
a lust of the blood and a
permission of the will“.
The attitudes of the
audience at the time are
likely to have been varied
too.
The Cuckold
Any man whose wife
cheated on him (without his
knowledge) was known as a
cuckold.
The word derives from
“cuckoo” – the bird known
for laying their eggs in
another’s nest.
It was highly undesirable to
be considered a cuckold.
All of the community would
find out about it and it
was considered a public
humiliation.
Cuckolds were often
described as having horns
– a hangover from the
days when a cuckold was
forced to parade around
his town wearing antlers
as a sign of his wife’s
infidelity.
Jealousy
Jealousy was viewed as something irrational and
linked to the deadly sin of envy.
 It was viewed as a sudden infection against
which there was no prevention or cure.
 It was thought of as eroding trust and it
dissolved the bonds holding together marriages,
families and social frameworks.
 Being jealous could let in evil and chaos and it
was a state greatly feared by Shakespeare’s
audiences.
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Task
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On the following slide are some lines
spoken by, or about, various characters in
the play – consider what you think each
quotation reveals about the person
speaking/being spoken about and what
they are like as a character.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Iago - describing Othello: “loving his own pride and
purposes”
Iago - speaking about his relationship with Othello: “I
follow him to serve my turn upon him”
Iago - speaking about himself: “I am not what I am”.
Iago - speaking about Othello: “The state cannot with
safety cast him; for he’s embarked with such loud
reason to the Cyprus wars”
Othello - speaking about himself: “My parts, my title
and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly”
Othello - about Iago: “A man he is of honesty and
trust”.
Othello – to an angry Brabantio: “Hold your hands,
were it my cue to fight , I should have known it”.
Jealousy and Deception
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Do you consider yourself
to be a jealous person?
Why?
Have you ever deceived
anyone? Why?
Is jealously acceptable in
a relationship?
Is it ever okay to
knowingly deceive
someone?
Quotations on Jealousy – Do you
agree?
“Love sees sharply, hatred sees even more sharp, but Jealousy sees
the sharpest for it is love and hate at the same time”
“Jealousy is nothing more than a fear of abandonment”
“
In jealousy there is more of self-love than love.”
“A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in
anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity.”
“Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind
often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the
love, the greater the jealousy -- in fact, they're almost incompatible;
one emotion hardly leaves room for the other. Both at once can
produce unbearable turmoil...”
Quotations on Deception – Do you
agree?
“We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves.”
“Deception is a cruel act... It often has many
players on different stages that corrode the
soul.”
“It's better to get something worthwhile done
using deception than to fail to get something
worthwhile done using truth.”
“Truth lives on in the midst of deception”
Today’s society - TASK
Think about the cultural
rules that you live by.
Look at the questions
opposite and
discuss/make notes.
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What rules dictate the
behaviour of young men
and women in
relationships today?
What are the things “nice
girls” just don’t do?
What are the things “nice
boys” just don’t do?
What do you think the
consequences are of
breaking these rules?