Othello
William Shakespeare
1604
 First performed November 1, 1604 for
King James I.
 Written during Shakespeare’s great tragic
period (Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth)
 Shakespearean tragedy involves human
character above all else. It is the fall of one
person – the “Hero” who is of a high
degree in society, with his fate affecting the
welfare of the whole nation.
What is the tragedy?
 A tale of suffering and calamity that leads
up to and includes the death of the hero
 His misery is exceptional as it extends
beyond him to the whole environment
 The hero’s fall, which is caused by some
evil force, contrasts the powerlessness of
man in the face of the caprice of Fate
Where does it come from?
 The tragedy issues from conflict, either
between persons or groups or forces within
the hero’s soul
 The calamities of tragedy proceed from the
actions of men; tragedy being caused by a
series of deeds leading to a catastrophe
The Tragic Hero
 He is a man of noble character and is
depicted as somewhat larger than life. The
events of the play must happen to a
conspicuous person, and they are contrasted
with his previous happiness or glory
 The character of the tragic hero must be
complex because the tragedy lies, not in his
death which is looked on as a relief or
escape, but in his life.
Hamartia or Tragic Flaw
 The main source of the tragic situation is
moral evil which reveals itself in defects of
character – irresolution (Hamlet), ambition
(Macbeth), jealousy (Othello), rashness
(Lear).
 The evil may grow worse and infect the
entire figure of the leading figure (Macbeth)
or it may become better and purge itself by
suffering (Lear)
Tragic Flaw continued
 What continues to motivate the tragic hero
is generally his basic goodness and the
tragic situation is ironic because the tragedy
largely stems from the depiction of the
waste of this good
 The tragic flaw is not always a simple one ,
although the evil is more often than not
identified with one flaw
Catharsis
 Through the fall of the tragic hero and the events
of the tragedy, the audience is able to experience
catharsis.
 Catharsis is a purging of emotion (usually pity) by
vicariously experiencing the events of the play
 Due to the universal themes of Shakespeare’s
plays (love, hate, jealousy, revenge, etc) a
connection between a character, event or theme is
almost guaranteed
The Play Othello
 The play is set against the
backdrop of the wars between
Venice and Turkey from the latter
part of the sixteenth century
 The island of Cyprus, the major
setting for the play, became
subservient to Venice in 1471
 Cyprus was attacked by the Turks
in 1570 and conquered the
following year
Sources
 The History of the Turks by Richard
Knolles (1603) and the Italian tale by
Giovanni Battista Giraldi Cinzio
 Both stories deal with the character Othello
and work with similar themes
 Shakespeare added characters and took the
minor character of the “ancient” and created
one of his greatest villains in Iago
The Moor
 The origin of Othello’s roots are unsure as
he could have been of African or Arabic
descent
 Moorish characters are evident in other
Shakespearian plays (Titus Andronicus) but
none as heroic as Othello.
 Although loved by most, the stereotypical
racism in the play that looms below the
surface is clearly shown by Iago
Themes
 Illusion vs. reality; truth vs. falsehood
 Evil masquerading as good
 Friendship and betrayal
 Destruction of jealousy; unchecked passion
 Loyalty, trust vs. treachery
 Prejudice
 Love and Hate
Characters
 Othello- General, husband to Desdemona
 Desdemona – Othello’s wife, daughter of
Brabantio
 Iago – ancient to Othello
 Brabantio – Senator, father of Desdemona
 Cassio – Othello’s lieutenant
 Roderigo – pawn of Iago, fromer suitor of
Desdemona
 Emilia – wife of Iago, Desdemona’s lady