Othello
Context -
Shakespeare’s Life
- Born April 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon
- Learned Latin and read classics from Virgil and Ovid
- Married Anne Hathaway at 18
- Died 1616 aged 52
- At some point he went to London and became an established playwright by 1592
- Plays were divided up into three genres
- Histories (e.g. Henry V)
- Tragedies (e.g. Othello)
- Comedies (e.g. Midsummer Night’s)
- First recorded performance of Othello was in 1604, written a year prior
Renaissance Period
- Theatre was very popular and Elizabeth I herself was a generous patron
- The Renaissance was a cultural movement which saw the flourishing of Latin and
Ancient Greek philosophies and knowledge in Western Europe.
- Shakespeare draws on Renaissance ideas in his work.
- Greek and Roman classical writings inspired his use of genre and references
- Explores the psychology of his characters in depth
- Time of developing and flourishing language
Sources for Othello
- Main story comes from Gli Hecatommithi by Cinthio
- Collection of short stories written in Italien and published in 1565
- Tells the story of Disdemon and a Moor captain
- The Moor’s Ensign falls in love with Disdemona and, when she rejects him, plots
to tell the Moor that she has cheated on him with the Corporal
- The plot proceeds very similarly to that in Shakespeare’s Othello, until in
Cinthio’s version the Moor kills Disdemona by beating her with a sand-filled
stocking.
- The Moor and the Ensign turn on each other, and the former is tortured and then
killed by Disdemona’s relatives.
What does this say about ‘Othello’?
- Aspects Shakespeare adds in or alters are of key importance
- Shakespeare’s Iago is more ambitious, and more evil than the Ensign
- Gives more time for Iago’s soliloquies, but we never know his true motives
- Shakespeare fleshes out the plot by adding more characters, including Brabantio and
Roderigo
, - Desdemona’s father being entirely opposed to their marriage offers us another
reason for Othello’s insecurities, and a potential reason why he so easily
succumbs to Iago’s manipulations.
- The addition of Roderigo, on the other hand, adds more depth to Iago’s
character. It is another character for him to manipulate, and so we have a greater
impression of Iago’s web of authority
Setting
- Begins in Venice, but by Act II action has moved to a war outpost in Cyprus
- In England at this time, Venice had a reputation as a cosmopolitan and diverse city full of
wealth and political stability
- Rare example of a contemporary Republican government → continuation of
the Ancient Roman tradition
- Also known for its diversity, home to people from a variety of cultural and ethnic
backgrounds
- It was geographically familiar, being situated in Europe, but also exotic as it had close
trading ties with North Africa and the Middle East.
- Venice was therefore a place simultaneously associated with exotic excitement and
dangerous otherworldliness. It seems alluring and almost mystical in its exoticism, but
also a place on the edge of ‘civilisation’ and therefore something to be feared
- On the one hand, Iago uses anti-black derogatory language to describe him, but the
white Venetian characters are also very intrigued by him and his backstory
Why set Othello abroad?
- As an ideal setting onto which English anxieties and preoccupations can be projected
and explored.
- Literary critic Andrew Hadfield called Venice “a critical utopian space”, a seemingly ideal
society where tensions are brewing beneath the surface
- Othello is a senior military officer, so on paper is happy and successful despite being an
outsider, but he is also the subject of hate from Brabantio and Iago.
- The racism and fear of outsiders that we witness in the play, such as Iago’s
derogatory language, is most likely a reflection of English fears and behaviours,
- Much of the play’s action is actually set in Cyprus, at a war outpost. This setting is even
further removed from the English audience, both geographically and symbolically. Whilst
Venice sat at the edge of ‘civilisation’, Cyprus was even more unknown, therefore more
dangerous
- The further the play is removed from Western Europe, the more civilisation and honour
break down
Race
- Shakespeare uses Venice as a space in which he can explore the concerns and
preoccupations of his own society, including interracial and intercultural encounters. For
example, we can assume that the white Venetians’ treatment of Othello would have
mirrored English people’s behaviour
, - There are records of some Africans living in England during the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, but their stories largely remain unknown
- Othello referred to as a ‘Moor’, assumedly an Arab inhabitant of North Africa, however
this is a vague and largely undefined term
- They do not care about the specificities of his race, the very virtue of them being
European and him not being European makes him an ‘other’
- In the 16th and 17th centuries, black could refer to both morality and race; white stood
for purity and innocence, and black was the antithesis.
For example, the quote “when devils will the blackest sins put on” (Act II Scene
III) explicitly confirms the association in the audience’s mind between morality
and blackness because the very worst sins are the very “blackest”. This
association of blackness with evil is one reason why Othello and his ‘otherness’
are feared by white Venetian society.
- Othello is treated with a mixture of respect, fear and fascination which all plays into his
race
- Despite him being a successful military leader, his is purged from the white
society to which he never truly belonged
Dramatic Context
- The general dramatic convention was that Moors were menaces intent on destruction,
and when they appeared on stage it was seen as a threat to the moral, social, and
political order.
- Othello’s character is clearly starkly different from this: he is the play’s protagonist, and
initially is a noble and honourable man. In some ways Shakespeare’s characterisation of
him certainly contrasts a stereotypical depiction.
- However, we can still see echoes of this typical characterisation of a Moor in
Othello, for example when he very quickly succumbs to a jealous rage, and
ultimately murders his innocent, white, and pure European wife
Religion
- Play is set against the backdrop of the ongoing wars between the Christian Republic of
Venice and the Muslim Ottoman Empire which raged throughout the 16th century and
this is another key aspect of the play’s religious elements.
- This religious conflict is an important background to a play who's the protagonist is a
convert to Christianity from Islam. The wars are a subtle reminder of the conflict between
Christians and Muslims, and yet another reminder of how Othello stands apart from his
society
Women and Marriage
- Women were subordinate to men during this period, when they married, everything they
owned became their husband’s possession
- Wives themselves were considered possessions, with fathers expected to choose a
husband and pass them on to them
, - Brabantio considers Desdemona to be under his ownership and accuses Othello
of being a ‘foul thief’ (A1SII)
- Although Desdemona is strong-willed and does defy Othello when convincing him to
forgive Cassio, she is ultimately a passive character who is powerless in the face of her
husband’s anger.
- Emilia is even more oppressed than Desdemona: by her husband, her mistress, and to
an extent Othello
- She is powerless throughout most of the play. Despite her distrust of her husband - she
knows that he isn't “wayward” (Act III Scene III) - she still takes Desdemona’s
handkerchief as he demanded because, as his wife, she is bound to him according to
the social order
- However, by the end of the play, Emilia speaks the truth. She exposes Iago’s
manipulations, insisting that “I am bound to speak” (Act V Scene II), even when he
threatens and eventually stabs her.
- By the end of the play the social order has been so disrupted by Othello’s murder
of Desdemona that Emilia feels free to speak up for herself
- However he exposure of the truth comes too late and Emilia herself is killed by
Iago for his disobedience
- Venice was thought of as a city famous for the freedoms and the liberality it offered its
inhabitants, and as a result of this reputation it was thought of as a place of sexual
freedom as well. This manifests in Othello when the male characters are quick to
assume that their wives are unfaithful: Othello quickly believes that Desdemona has
cheated on him and in fact calls her the “whore of Venice” (Act IV Scene II),
Literary Form
Genres:
- Tragedy
- Drawn of Ancient Greek tragedy → following a typical plotline: a
striking and noble hero suffers a reversal of fate due to a key flaw of
misjudgement, leads to widespread suffering
- Usually culminates in his own death
- Othello’s hamartia (hubris = fatal flaw, hamartia = flaw in judgement) is generally
considered to be jealousy, which enables him to be tricked and 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 catharsis, an emotional release in which the protagonist
realises that his downfall was brought about by his own actions and errors.
