Othello Revision Booklet
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Historical context
The Renaissance
Literally ‘rebirth’ saw a revival of intellectual and artistic endeavour.
Shakespeare's drama is innovative and challenging in exactly the
way of the Renaissance
It examines and questions the beliefs, assumptions and politics
upon which Elizabethan society was founded
Although his plays conclude in a restoration of order and stability,
Shakespeare subverts traditional values, as we see in Othello,
where the tragic hero is black and the heroine an assertive, young
woman.
Iago’s critical, rebellious and mocking voice could be given this
subversive view to discredit them, or the only ones through whom a
voice could be given to radical and dissident ideas.
Due to censorship, any criticism Shakespeare makes of the way
those in authority behave, or questions he asks about race and
nobility, had to be muted or oblique - direct criticism of the monarch
or contemporary English court not tolerated – why it was set abroad.
Nationalism and xenophobia
Italy had a ‘double image’, land of refinement and romance, a
model of civilisation. Venice, Europe’s centre of capitalism, was a
free state, and renowned as one of the most beautiful cities in Italy
On the other hand, Italy was a country associated with decadence,
villainy and vice. Venice suspect - ‘racial and religious melting pot’.
Elizabethans against mixed marriages and viewed ‘blackamoors’
with suspicion.
Usually in Renaissance drama black men and Moors were portrayed
negatively; Othello is the first black hero.
Othello only behaves as the stereotype of the lustful, murderous
black man when he is corrupted by Iago.
Othello is a racial ‘outsider’ in Venice but Shakespeare stresses his
noble origins and his power and status as a mercenary general.
During the Renaissance many believed black people were fit only to
be slaves. Shakespeare subverts this view in his depiction of his
noble Moor.
Religion
, Emphases on Protestant nature. Othello has converted to
Christianity and the preoccupation with good and evil in the play
suggests its religious context
Central figures of many of Shakespeare’s plays, including Othello,
are frequently individuals beset by temptation and the lure of evil.
His heroes have the preoccupation with self and the introspective
tendencies associated with Protestantism.
Shakespeare’s tragic heroes haunted by their consciences; they
agonise over their actions as they follow a spiritual process towards
heaven or hell – exactly the psychological journey Othello goes on.
Evidence of Othello’s tormented conscience before and after he kills
his wife.
Female subordination
Questions about social hierarchy, women remained in subordinate
roles, lives controlled by the patriarchy
Women expected to be ruled by men and had few legal rights.
Entitled to inherit property, but if they married, everything they
owned passes to their husbands. Many men saw women as
possessions
Seen as intellectually inferior to men, and rarely received an
education. Assertive and argumentative women were seen as a
threat to the social order and were punished for their behaviour with
forms of torture
European visitors to England commented English women had more
freedoms. Shakespeare’s audience included women and he wrote
many parts for strong-minded female characters, like Desdemona
and Emilia
Staging practices
Stage was bare, characters often tell us where they are. Location in
Shakespeare’s plays can be symbolic – descriptions of places are
used to create a specific dramatic mood or situation
Storm in Cyprus that open Act II is described verbally by the
characters on stage, to create a mood of tension for the audience
Torches, and candles used to signify night to the audience. Main
prop – bed where Othello strangles Desdemona – dominated the
stage
Othello’s violence to Desdemona is shocking, but the Elizabethans
lived in a violent world. Domestic abuse wasn’t uncommon, and
except in cases of extreme cruelty, not commonly unacceptable
Links to other Shakespeare plays
Many Renaissance and Jacobean plays focus on the tragic
consequences of doomed love, for example Romeo and Juliet.
, Marriage is usually a central theme in comedy. A Midsummer
Night’s Dream is typical, focusing on courtship and marriage.
Marriage provides a ‘happy ending’ in comedy.
Villains are often cynical atheists, who use others for their own ends.
Ambitious Edmund in King Lear exploits women in the same way as
Iago.
Dramatists often explore evil through the presentation of sexual
corruption. In Hamlet Claudius poisons his brother and marries his
widow, Gertrude.
Setting
Venice was associated with power, romance and high culture, an
appropriate setting for the Othello–Desdemona love match.
Italy was associated with villainy, decadence and corruption, and
frequently used as a setting for plays on such themes. The Duchess
of Malfi and ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore both explore these themes. Iago
personifies these stereotypical Italian vices.
The isolation of and threats to the Cyprus setting symbolise the
isolation of and threats to Desdemona and Othello.
The use of a military setting for a play about marriage underlines
the conflict Othello faces when trying to combine love and work.
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Shakespeare’s tragedies usually feature a protagonist who begins
the play in harmony with his community. For example, King Lear
opens with Lear in charge of his kingdom and enjoying all the
privileges of his position. Macbeth starts with Macbeth as a
promising general in line for promotion. Othello, on the other hand,
begins the play alienated from his community. Unlike Iago and
Desdemona, he is neither a Venetian nor a noble nor a civilian. As
Iago points out, Othello is different from Desdemona in “clime,
complexion, and degree” (III.iii).
Furthermore, he has spent so much time in battle, he is
unaccustomed to civic life: “Rude am I in my speech/ And little
blessed with the soft phrase of peace” (I.ii) he says. In presenting a
protagonist who begins the play as an outsider, Othello deviates
from other Shakespearean tragedies, and provides potential reasons
for Othello’s vulnerability to Iago’s manipulations. Othello’s
uncertain social standing may incline him to disbelieve that
Desdemona could actually love him, and to assume Iago’s stories
about Desdemona’s infidelity are plausible.
