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Summary Othello Overview: Plot, Context, Themes
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Overview of key information to help your study and revision of Shakespeare's Othello - includes key information, a summary of the plot, advanced contextual knowledge, and a summary of the key themes of the play - Helped to achieve an A* in A-level Edexcel English Literature, - By a current Oxfor...

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  • August 31, 2024
  • 6
  • 2024/2025
  • Summary

Subjects

  • othello
  • english
  • english literature
  • plot of othello
  • othello context
  • othello themes
  • shakespeare
  • tragedy
  • play
  • a level english

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  • A/AS Level
  • PEARSON (PEARSON)
  • English Literature 2015
  • Unit 1 - Drama
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‭Othello‬

‭KEY‬‭INFO:‬
‭-‬ ‭ irst‬‭performed‬‭in‬‭1604;‬‭start‬‭of‬‭Jacobean‬‭England‬‭-‬‭dark‬‭time‬‭in‬‭English‬‭history‬
F
‭(Elizabeth‬‭dies‬‭in‬‭1603)‬
‭●‬ ‭Play‬‭is‬‭set‬‭100‬‭years‬‭before‬‭it‬‭has‬‭been‬‭performed‬
‭-‬ ‭Performed‬‭in‬‭public‬‭and‬‭private‬‭theatres‬‭in‬‭front‬‭of‬‭the‬‭King‬‭and‬‭nobles‬
‭●‬ ‭Play‬‭appeals‬‭to‬‭educated‬‭intellectuals‬
‭●‬ ‭Varied‬‭performance‬‭audiences‬
‭●‬ ‭No‬‭female‬‭actors‬
‭-‬ ‭Tragedy‬
‭●‬ ‭5‬‭Acts‬
‭●‬ ‭Aristotelian‬‭model/‬‭classical‬‭model‬‭-‬‭does‬‭it‬‭conform?‬
‭●‬ ‭Tragic‬‭hero‬‭-‬‭high‬‭class,‬‭hamartia‬‭(otherwise‬‭good‬‭people‬‭→‬‭downfall),‬‭hubris‬
‭●‬ ‭Malcontent‬‭-‬‭Iago‬
‭●‬ ‭Medieval‬‭morality‬‭play‬‭-‬‭short‬‭play‬‭-‬‭protagonist‬‭represents‬‭a‬‭generic‬‭human‬‭who‬
‭is‬‭surrounded‬‭by‬‭characters‬‭that‬‭represent‬‭vices‬‭and‬‭virtues‬‭eg‬‭charity/sloth‬‭-‬
‭everyone‬‭fights‬‭for‬‭influence‬‭over‬‭the‬‭everyman's‬‭soul‬‭-‬‭usually‬‭tempted,‬‭falls,‬
‭redeems‬
‭○‬ ‭Easy‬‭to‬‭read‬‭this‬‭play‬‭of‬‭a‬‭fight‬‭for‬‭Othello’s‬‭soul‬‭-‬‭angel‬‭Desdemona‬‭vs‬
‭devil‬‭Iago‬
‭○‬ ‭The‬‭character‬‭representing‬‭sin‬‭in‬‭these‬‭plays‬‭would‬‭be‬‭charismatic‬‭+‬‭talk‬
‭to‬‭audience‬‭-‬‭as‬‭Iago‬‭does‬
‭-‬ ‭Moor‬‭=‬‭dark-skinned‬‭African‬‭Muslim‬‭from‬‭North‬‭Africa.‬‭Mauritania‬‭-‬‭a‬‭new‬‭culture‬
‭England‬‭was‬‭being‬‭introduced‬‭to.‬‭One‬‭of‬‭the‬‭most‬‭important‬‭people‬‭in‬‭Venice‬‭but‬
‭perceived‬‭as‬‭an‬‭outsider‬
‭●‬ ‭Tragic‬‭feature‬‭of‬‭assimilation?‬
‭●‬ ‭Attempts‬‭to‬‭fit‬‭in‬‭with‬‭white‬‭Venetians‬
‭●‬ ‭Moor‬‭=‬‭not‬‭derogatory‬‭term‬

‭PLOT:‬
-‭‬ I‭ago,‬‭venetian‬‭army,‬‭resentful‬‭as‬‭he‬‭promoted‬‭Cassio‬‭over‬‭him‬
‭-‬ ‭Iago‬‭uses‬‭Rodrigo,‬‭Rodrigo‬‭is‬‭in‬‭love‬‭with‬‭Desdemona‬‭-‬‭enform‬‭Desdemona’s‬‭father‬
‭about‬‭her‬‭secret‬‭marriage‬‭to‬‭Othello‬
‭-‬ ‭Father‬‭Brabantio‬‭is‬‭outraged,‬‭confronts‬‭Othello,‬‭says‬‭he‬‭has‬‭bewitched‬‭her‬‭and‬‭used‬
‭witchcraft‬‭to‬‭make‬‭her‬‭fall‬‭in‬‭love,‬‭Othello‬‭explains‬‭how‬‭they‬‭have‬‭fallen‬‭in‬‭love‬‭and‬
‭Desdeoma‬‭agrees,‬‭warns‬‭Othello‬‭his‬‭daughter‬‭may‬‭deceive‬‭him‬
‭●‬ ‭Rules‬‭of‬‭marriage‬‭=‬‭patriarchal,‬‭assertive‬‭women‬‭=‬‭threat‬‭to‬‭social‬‭order‬
‭●‬ ‭Fathers‬‭would‬‭choose‬‭husbands‬‭from‬‭a‬‭similar‬‭rank‬
‭●‬ ‭Marriage‬‭=‬‭economic‬‭transaction,‬‭about‬‭ownership‬‭and‬‭property‬

, ‭ ‬ ‭Love‬‭marriage‬‭is‬‭relatively‬‭new‬
●
‭●‬ ‭Equality‬‭in‬‭marriage‬‭=‬‭new‬‭and‬‭exciting‬
‭●‬ ‭Mixed‬‭race‬‭marriage‬‭-‬‭not‬‭unheard‬‭of,‬‭but‬‭incredibly‬‭rare‬
‭●‬ ‭Desdemona‬‭=‬‭subverting‬‭marriage‬‭norms,‬‭embarrassing‬‭her‬‭father‬
‭●‬ ‭Eloping‬‭=‬‭not‬‭respectable‬‭or‬‭virtuous,‬‭Othello’s‬‭behaviour‬‭already‬‭seen‬‭as‬‭bad‬
‭-‬ ‭Othello‬‭called‬‭away‬‭to‬‭the‬‭army‬‭to‬‭Cyprus.‬‭Othello‬‭is‬‭rumoured‬‭to‬‭have‬‭slept‬‭with‬‭Iago’s‬
‭wife.‬‭When‬‭they‬‭get‬‭there‬‭they‬‭realise‬‭a‬‭storm‬‭has‬‭destroyed‬‭the‬‭fleet.‬‭Othello‬
‭consummates‬‭marriage.‬‭Iago‬‭gets‬‭Cassio‬‭drunk,‬‭Rodgrigo‬‭bates‬‭Cassio‬‭into‬‭a‬‭fight,‬
‭Cassio‬‭is‬‭punished‬‭and‬‭removed‬‭from‬‭his‬‭post.‬‭Iago‬‭convinces‬‭him‬‭that‬‭Desdemona‬‭can‬
‭help‬‭Cassio.‬‭Cassio‬‭gets‬‭Desdemona‬‭alone‬‭to‬‭try‬‭and‬‭get‬‭her‬‭to‬‭help‬
‭-‬ ‭Iago‬‭convinces‬‭Othello‬‭that‬‭Desdemona‬‭is‬‭having‬‭an‬‭affair‬‭with‬‭Cassio‬‭-‬‭plants‬‭seed‬‭of‬
‭doubt‬
-‭‬ ‭Iago‬‭tells‬‭Othello‬‭the‬‭signs‬‭of‬‭cheating‬‭are‬‭all‬‭there.‬‭Othello‬‭starts‬‭to‬‭doubt‬‭straight‬‭away.‬
‭-‬ ‭Iago‬‭plants‬‭Desdemona’s‬‭handkerchief‬‭in‬‭Cassio’s‬‭room.‬‭Cassio‬‭gives‬‭handkerchief‬‭to‬
‭Bianca‬‭(prostitute)‬
‭-‬ ‭Othello‬‭vows‬‭revenge‬‭against‬‭Desdemona,‬‭but‬‭is‬‭still‬‭unconvinced.‬‭Othello‬‭has‬‭an‬
‭epileptic‬‭fit‬‭and‬‭falls‬‭into‬‭a‬‭trance.‬‭Iago‬‭gets‬‭Othello‬‭to‬‭listen‬‭in‬‭to‬‭a‬‭conversation‬‭with‬
‭Cassio.‬‭Bianca‬‭throws‬‭handkerchief‬‭at‬‭Cassio‬
‭-‬ ‭Othello‬‭slaps‬‭Emilia,‬‭calls‬‭Desdemona‬‭a‬‭whore.‬‭She‬‭tells‬‭him‬‭someone‬‭has‬‭manipulated‬
‭him‬
‭-‬ ‭Decides‬‭to‬‭kill‬‭Desdemona‬‭and‬‭gets‬‭Iago‬‭to‬‭kill‬‭Cassio.‬‭Rodrigo‬‭picks‬‭a‬‭fight‬‭with‬‭Cassio.‬
‭Iago‬‭secretly‬‭kills‬‭Rodrigo‬
‭-‬ ‭Othello‬‭smothers‬‭Desdemona‬‭with‬‭a‬‭pillow.‬‭Emilia‬‭tells‬‭Othello‬‭what‬‭Iago‬‭has‬‭done.‬‭Iago‬
‭stabs‬‭his‬‭wife.‬‭Othello‬‭stabs‬‭Iago‬‭but‬‭not‬‭fatally‬
‭-‬ ‭Before‬‭being‬‭arrested‬‭Othello‬‭takes‬‭his‬‭own‬‭life.‬‭Iago‬‭takes‬‭a‬‭vow‬‭of‬‭silence.‬‭Cassio‬‭is‬
‭appointed‬‭as‬‭Othello’s‬‭successor‬

‭CONTEXT:‬
‭●‬ C ‭ ontemporary‬‭context‬‭(Shakespeare’s‬‭Renaissance‬‭England)‬‭vs‬‭Fictional‬‭context‬
‭(Renaissance‬‭Venice)‬
‭●‬ ‭Tragedy‬‭of‬‭jealousy,‬‭manipulation,‬‭comedy‬
‭●‬ ‭Geographical‬‭dichotomous‬‭-‬‭Venice‬‭vs‬‭Cyprus‬‭-‬‭not‬‭historically‬‭accurate‬‭(Venice‬‭lost‬
‭Cyprus‬‭to‬‭Ottomans),‬‭dismissal‬‭of‬‭Turks‬‭allows‬‭the‬‭plot‬‭to‬‭continue.‬‭Christian‬‭audience‬‭-‬
‭suspicion‬‭of‬‭Islamic‬‭forces‬‭threatening‬‭Europe,‬‭Ottoman.‬‭Difference‬‭in‬‭locations‬‭causes‬
‭Othello’s‬‭downfall‬
‭-‬ ‭Renaissance‬‭Venice‬‭=‬‭height‬‭of‬‭European‬‭civilization,‬‭cultural‬‭sophistication,‬
‭Thomas‬‭Coryat’s‬‭‘Crudities’,‬‭refine,‬‭advanced‬‭cosmopolitan‬‭hub‬‭-‬‭English‬‭should‬
‭emulate‬
‭●‬ ‭Meritocracy‬‭-‬‭republic‬‭-‬‭can‬‭get‬‭by‬‭on‬‭merit‬‭not‬‭birth‬‭privileges‬‭-‬‭allows‬
‭Othello‬‭to‬‭rise‬‭up‬
‭●‬ ‭Commerce‬‭and‬‭multiculturalism‬

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