OTHELLO
The Tragedy by
William Shakespeare
Dr. Neighbours
The Tragedy of Othello
Venice, Italy – the Setting of Othello
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 King James I (his rule is referred to as the Jacobean
period), England lost some of its power and prosperity.
 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 glory
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.
Othello: Themes
Hypocrisy…
Passion…
Prejudice…
Jealousy…
Revenge…
Principal Characters:
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Othello:
Iago:
Michael Cassio:
Roderigo:
Brabantio:
Gratiano:
Montano:
Desdemona:
Emilia:
Bianca:
A Moorish general in the service of Venice
Othello’s ensign from Florence
Othello’s lieutenant
A Venetian suitor of Desdemona
Desdemona’s father
Brabantio’s brother
Former Governor of Cyprus
Brabantio's daughter, Othello’s wife
Iago’s wife
A Courtesan in Venice, friend and lady in
waiting to Desdemona
Plot Elements
Genre:
 Time:
Romantic Tragedy
Shakespeare probably
intended the time to be
early 1500’s
 Setting:
Venice, Italy and Cyprus
 Year Produced: 1604
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About the Plot
The plot for Othello was
developed from a story in
the Italian author Cinthio's
collection, The
Hecatommithi, which it
follows closely (1565).
 The only named character in
Cinthio's story is
"Disdemona", which means
"unfortunate" in Greek
 The other characters are
identified only as "the
standard-bearer", "the
captain", and "the Moor".
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The first known performance
of the play occurred on
November 1, 1604 at
Whitehall Palace in London.
Cyprus was off the coast of Syria
and Turkey. Venice is up the
Adriatic Sea.
Cyprus coastline
The Venetian coastline looks vastly
different from that of Cyprus.
Venice was known for its wealth and
prosperity during the Renaissance.
Cyprus was not.
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.
It can also be supposed that he
was from Morocco,
although Libya is sometimes
referred to as “Moorish”
What does it mean to be Moorish?
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Moors were characterized 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.
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The majority of Moors were
Islamic; whereas Venice would
have been Christian
Traditional “Moorish,” Moroccan People
Moorish skin tone varies, but most definitely stood apart from the
traditionally Romanesque feature of northern Italians from Venice.
The Great Villain – 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.
Othello: Plot
Othello is a general, a military leader, in Venice hundreds
of years ago.
But he is an outsider because he is from another
country—and of another race.
Othello: Plot
When Othello secretly marries the young, beautiful and
noble Desdemona,
Her father, Brabantio,
wants Othello to be
arrested.
But Desdemona loves
Othello and doesn’t care
that he is an outsider.
Othello: Plot
At the same time, the men in the army under Othello can’t
be trusted.
Cassio means well but is
open to bad influences.
Iago pretends to be
Othello’s friend, but
secretly resents him for
passing him over for
promotion.
Othello: Plot
Iago is determined to get
revenge.
He decides to attack
Othello in his most
vulnerable spot…
his love for Desdemona.
Othello: Plot
Will Othello be able to see through Iago’s schemes?
Or will jealousy and revenge turn to murder?
Othello: Plot
Othello is from North Africa, while Desdemona is from
Venice, in Italy.
Their marriage is a meeting of
cultures and races.
Othello: Plot
Othello, again, is sometimes referred to as “the Moor.”
Moors are people with mixed Berber and Arab groups
living in northwestern Africa.
Shakespeare included Moorish characters in other plays:
The Merchant of Venice and Titus Andronicus. He
used them to represent outsiders.
Othello: Plot
Racism is an important concept in Othello,
As is the idea of judging others on the basis of their
appearance rather than what’s in their hearts.
Othello: Plot
The way a character speaks in Shakespeare’s plays signals
the way his or her mind is working. It can also tell you
what kind of person the character is.
Othello often uses animal
imagery.
Desdemona often speaks
about her faith.
Othello: Discussion Starters
• What groups are sometimes treated as outsiders in the
United States today?
• Why are they seen by others as outsiders?
• How do others react to them?
Othello: Discussion Starters
• Othello depicts many problems that arise from jealousy
and greed.
• Do these emotions still cause problems today?
• If so, what problems have you seen them create?
Other Interesting Themes and Issues in Othello
Controversial in Elizabethan times, but still hold true today……
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:
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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!
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In the Elizabethan times
there was a long and well
established tradition in the
Church of what we would
now call misogyny
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Women were distrusted
simply because they were
women. At the time it was
assumed that women would
cheat – it was part of their
nature!
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The men in Othello have
differing views of women:
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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.
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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.
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Jealousy
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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.
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.
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2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
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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”.
Today’s Culture/Othello’s Culture
Think about the cultural
rules that you live by. Think
about the cultural rules that
were lived by in the day and
age of Othello.
Consider these questions
rhetorically…..
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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?