Context

Question 1

Playwright

Answer 1

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Question 2

Renaissance Era

Answer 2

14th-17th centuries
“Rebirth” in classical culture
Begun in Venice
Humanism.
Religion vs. Magic.
Mathematics, Science & Technology.
Exploration.
Women: Gender and sexuality.
Art.
The Rise of the Merchant Class.
Queen Elizabeth.

Question 3

Elizabethan Era

Answer 3

1558-1603
Reign of Queen Elizabeth I
love
time
the value of writing
the eternalization of beauty
Morality

Question 4

Jacobean Era

Answer 4

1603-1625
Reign of King James I
injustice
religious conflict
questioning of the social order
Introduction of darker literature
Some of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies are from this era including ‘Othello’ (1604)

Question 5

Key historic moments

Answer 5

1585 - Anglo-Spanish war begins
1593 - Bubonic Plague
1599 - The Globe Theatre built
1603 - Death of Queen Elizabeth I
1603 - King James I crowned
1604 - end of Anglo-Spanish War
Play likely takes place a year after the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus
Restoring Christian power over Islam

Question 6

Female Views

Answer 6

Little control
‘Weaker sex’
Patriarchal society
Possession
Usually highly educated

Question 7

Male views

Answer 7

Power
Superior
Greater freedom
Absolute authority

Question 8

‘The Moor’

Answer 8

Refers to Islamic Arabic inhabitants of North Africa
Used broadly
Elizabethan - darker than average Europeans seen as black.

Question 9

Typical of Shakespeare plays

Answer 9

The other - the moor
Not always characterised as evil
Separated/stigmatised/noted as different from mainstream ideal
Alternately/simultaneously noble or monstrous, civil or savage
Increasing appearance in literature
Paralleled visibility in actual English society