context

Question 1

main context

Answer 1

-Based on ‘Un Capitano Moro’ - by Cinthio in 1565
-Important quote by Coleridge: ‘the motive-hunting of motiveless malignity’
-Ppl in England were becoming familiar with ‘Mauritania’ in northern Africa and its culture -> term ‘moor’ comes from the country
-The term moor is not always used derogatorily
-Venice vs Cyprus - dichotomy
-The ottoman empire was greatly threatening to europe during the Elizabethan era - hence why the whole plot goes on
-Venice known as both civilised + including prostitution
-Iago is a Spanish name - nemesis both historically and within the play

Question 2

race

Answer 2

-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.

Question 3

religion

Answer 3

-The preoccupation with good and evil underlines the play’s religious context.
-Desdemona is linked to good through the use of references to heaven. -Iago is linked to evil through references to hell and the devil.
-Othello has converted to Christianity and subscribes to Christian values. He knows he is damned in the final moments of the play.
-Iago has atheistic attitudes. He says men are in control of their own fates, ‘’tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus’ (I.3.320).

Question 4

setting

Answer 4

-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.

Question 5

patriarchy

Answer 5

-Renaissance women were subordinate to men and were ruled by them.
-Legally, women were the possessions of men, so Renaissance fathers and husbands often treated their daughters and wives as objects to be used as they saw fit.
-Assertive women were considered a threat to the social order. Desdemona asserts her right to live with Othello, but never challenges his authority over her.
-Shakespeare’s positive portrayal of Emilia suggests assertiveness in a woman is not always a threat to patriarchy