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Summary Othello - Othello - Shakespeare
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A summary guide for Othello by William Shakespeare, an excellent tool to study for AS and A2
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Literary form - AO2
Genres: tragedy:
● The key genre Shakespeare draws onto the play is an ancient Greek tragedy. During the time he
wrote it, ancient greek and roman traditions flourished around europe
● shakespeare uses the conventions of greek tragedy in several of his plays
● The play follows the typical plotline of a tragedy: a striking noble hero suffers a reversal of fate
due to a key flaw or misjudgement which leads to widespread suffering. This usually culminates
in his own death and the deaths of numerous other characters
● Tragic hero usually has a hamartia (a primary fatal flaw which is a cause of his downfall.
● Othello’s hamartia is generally considered to be jealousy, which enables him to be manipulated
by iago into doubting desdemona’s faithfulness
● At the end of a classical tragedy, the hero experiences a moment of anagnorisis in which he
becomes aware of his mistakes and misjudgments. This is often followed by a catharsis, an
emotional release in which the protagonist realizes that his downfall was brought by his own
actions.
● This is a moment of cleansing of the soul of wrongdoing; in spectating the play, the audience
experiences a similar cleansing and feels a strong emotional release as well
● This moment of realization always comes too late, and this contributes to the tragedy of the
situation
● Shakespeare's use of tragedy adds a sense of inevitability and hopelessness to the play
● We are aware of othello’s fate from the beginning of the play with dramatic irony
● The audience’s foreknowledge of how the events will play out increases the sense of tragedy, as
we watch othello make wrong decisions and the succumb to iago’s deception
Structure
● The play narrows as it progresses, opening up in venice then moving to cyprus
● As othello becomes increasingly obsessed with his relationship, all outside forces become
insignificant
● The setting becomes more claustrophobic for the audience as well as the characters
● There is no subplot in othello and the action is based on iago’s manipulation hence causing more
claustrophobia as there are no outside forces to alleviate the dramatic intensity
, ● Iago is structurally dominant throughout the play, he has the most on stage time which
corresponds to his authority in the plot
Language:
● Words are particularly important as it is iago's manipulation of language which leads to othello's
fall showing us the power of words
● Othello is written in blank verse to show heroism
Context - AO3
The renaissance period:
● Shakespeare wrote during the english renaissance period (15th - mid 17th century)
● Cultural movement which saw the flourishing of latin and ancient greek philosophies and
knowledge in western europe
● He draws on greek and roman classical writing in his use of genre and references and explores
the psychology of his characters in depth (typical in this period)
● Development and flourishing of the language shown in his plays
Shakespeare’s sources for othello:
● Main story comes from an italian story published in 1565
● Shakespeare’s iago is more ambiguous therefore more evil than cinthio’s ensign.he intended to
give more time to iago’s soliloquies and made him to be bloodthirsty and merciless
Setting:
● Begins in venice but moves to cyprus in act 2 (venetian war outpost)
● Venice had a rep as a cosmopolitan and diverse city full of wealth and political stability
● Venice was home to people from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds such as othello who
had immigrated and adopted venetian (christian) values
● It was a place bustling with trade and opportunity
● Exotic as it had close trading ties with north africa and the middle east
● For shakespeare’s audience, the place was associated with exotic excitement and dangerous
otherworldliness, simultaneously
● Seems alluring and almost mystical in its exoticism but also a place on the edge of
civilisation which was something to be feared
● Iago uses anti black derogatory language to describe othello, but the white venetian characters
were intrigued by him and his backstory
● Desdemeona listens “with a greedy ear” in act 1 scene 3 where othello tells the story of his life
● Although the venetians seem to hate and fear othello, they’re simultaneously fascinated by his
exotic upbringing and experiences
○ Why did Shakespeare set othello abroad
● Literary critic Hadfield called Venice “a critical utopian space”, a seemingly ideal society
where tensions are brewing beneath the surface. This is certainly true, othello on paper is
happy and successful despite being an outsider, but he is also the subject of hate.
● The racism and fear of outsiders that we witness in the play is most likely a reflection of english
fears and behaviors as well as those of venetians
● Venice was familiar and exotic therefore was an ideal setting onto which english anxieties and
preoccupations can be projected and explored
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