Background Information on
Othello
Cultural Context
• Othello, like the rest of Shakespeare's plays,
was written in a very hierarchical age. It is
important to remember that Othello is set in
Italy, not in England, where Shakespeare
wrote; he was not attempting to represent his
own society.
YET………
• Late sixteenth-century England (also known as
Elizabethan England after Elizabeth 1. 15581603) was a society in which your birth
mattered a great deal.
• Among the aristocracy (a general term
covering the nobility and the gentry) marriage
was an important political tool.
Girls tended to be married off rather young in
their teens and to have their husbands chosen
for them by their fathers. Men tended to be
older at marriage, unless they were the oldest
son of the family, sure of an inheritance.
Marriage was not just a spiritual union but also
a property transaction; the bride brought a
dowry from her father and the groom’s father
(or the groom if he had already inherited his
estate) had to settle lands on her in return, as
a "jointure." Thus, to marry without the
bride's father's permission could be seen as an
act of theft.
THE NEW WORLD????
By the time Othello was written the English
were becoming more and more aware of the
existence of other races in the world besides
themselves. Voyages to the New World during
Elizabeth's reign had brought them into
contact with native Americans, some of whom
had been brought back to England.
English traders were doing business in Africa
(although they had not yet become involved in
the slave trade in a major way), and in 1554
they had brought back a group of West
Africans to London to learn English, so they
could act as interpreters.
It doesn’t matter if you are black or
white?
To the Elizabethans, who thought hierarchically,
pale skin was the epitome of beauty~ and
therefore dark skin ranked below it. The term
"black" was used in a variety of texts to stand
for sin, filth, ugliness, evil, the Devil. To label
dark-skinned people "black," therefore,
brought a great deal of cultural baggage with
it.
Ideal Couple?
moor (n.)- a person that is a member of a Muslim
people of North Africa of mixed Arab descent.
Setting of Othello
Venice
Italy
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Cyprus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44GKZrErSF
Q
Racism vs. Prejudice
It is a difficult concept to grasp, but it is extremely
important in understanding the how these two
different social constructs affect a person’s
culpability.
As readers, human beings and critical thinkers, there is
no need to tell ourselves that these things do not
exist, because we all know that they do.
Our job is to understand why these constructs exist,
and to figure out what we can do to both understand
them and actively combat them.
Prejudice
• A prejudice is a prejudgment, an assumption
made about someone or something before
having adequate knowledge to be able to do
so with guaranteed accuracy. The word
prejudice is most commonly used to refer to a
preconceived judgment toward a people or a
person because of…….
race, social class, gender, ethnicity, age,
disability, political beliefs, religion, sexual
orientation or other personal characteristics.
• It also means beliefs without knowledge of
the facts[1] and may include "any
unreasonable attitude that is unusually
resistant to rational influence.”
WHAT ARE SOME REASONS WHY
PEOPLE WOULD BE PREJUDICE?
?
RACISM
Racism is …
a belief or doctrine that inherent differences
among the various human races determine
cultural or individual achievement, usually
involving the idea that one's own race is
superior and has the right to rule others.
WHAT ARE SOME REASONS WHY
PEOPLE WOULD BE RACIST?
?
Othello
A brilliant military mind and respected leader in
Venice’s elitist society, Othello is a Moor (an
African) and is not fully excepted because of
his origins and color. After many successful
military ventures, he finds and falls in love
with Desdemona, the daughter of a senator.
Because of his insecurities and social hyper
awareness, he is easily deceived and misled by
Iago.
Iago
An ensign in Othello’s forces and extremely
careful planner and horribly vindictive thinker,
his grievances turn into full fledge revenge
against both Cassio and Othello.
Cassio
The popular, well spoken, friend of Othello,
Cassio is a lieutenant for Othello, chosen over
Iago for promotion and thus angering Iago. His
natural charm and kindness get him into to
different types of trouble throughout the play.
Desdemona
A noble woman and daughter of the Venetian
Senator Brabantio, Desdemona falls in love
with Othello and displays particular strength
of spirit in following him and remaining
steadfast in the face of danger. She relies on
her trust and love of her husband and even as
he grows distant and jealous of her
Roderigo
A former suitor of Desdemona, Roderigo is a
Venetian nobleman who continues to pay
freely to win her hand. He trusts Iago as his go
between man and pays him liberally to help
win her hand. Iago takes his money and uses
Roderigo to instigate his plans for revenge
against Cassio and Othello.
Brabantio
A Venetian senator and the father of
Desdemona, Brabantio is wary of Othello and
his intentions and the marriage of his
daughter. He even warns his new son in law
against the deceitfulness of his daughter.
Dialogue: Conversation between characters. It
reveals character and advances the action.
Monologue: A speech by one character in a
play.A long speech expressing the thoughts of
a character alone on a stage.
Soliloquy:The audience senses they are
overhearing a character talk to himselfor
herself.