Cultural Context Flashcards
What is the significance of “black” in the play? (3 points)
Black was traditionally the colour of evil and the devil, according to Biblical and mythological sources
Could refer to both morality and race - the antithesis of the purity and innocence of white
Association of blackness with evil is one reason why Othello and his ‘otherness’ are feared by white Venetian society
What was the Jacobean audience’s reaction involving ‘blackness’? (2 points)
A marriage between a black man and a white woman (and the idea of their possible ‘filthy’ progeny) would have been deeply shocking at the time
When black and white absolutes shift position, society might well expect tragic events to occur
What is the significance of others’ comments on Othello’s blackness? (2 points)
Iago’s references are loaded with moral undertones - calls him evil whilst describing physical apperance
Duke saying ‘more fair than black’ indicates constant conflation of blackness and evil that Shakespeare’s audience and characters would have assumed
What is the Great Chain of Being?
Inherited from medieval theology by the Elizabethans - the concept of a hierarchy of all creation:
+ God
+ Angel
+ King
+ Man
+ Woman
+ Animal
+ Vegetable
+ Mineral
What is the significance of the Great Chain of Being in Othello? (2 points)
Any change of reversal in this order is likely to result in tragedy, including:
+ Women ruling men
+ Humans to the animal state of being governed by appetite and instinct due to failing to apply reason
+ A human being labelled a monster for falling below the level of man into bestiality
Hierarchy informs Iago’s derogatory descriptions of Othello - he perceives Moors and people of African descent to be sub-human in his eyes and in the eyes of God
What are the 11 factors of cultural context that can be applied to Othello?
Abstract:
Nature
Appearance
Reason
Negative:
Evil spirits
Damnation
Lying
Jealousy
Chaos
Romantic:
Courtly love
Cuckoldry
Chastisity
What is the significance of “nature” in Othello? (4 points)
The word “nature” was ever-present in
Elizabethan literature through imagery and points made - there was a debate about its definition
Two contradictory aspects:
+ The benign and harmonious
+ The malignant and violent
Shakespeare’s plays also closely examine the concept of human nature and its relationship to nature as a whole
Reversals of nature (what is ‘natural’) will inevitably invert the order and result in catastrophe
What is the significance of “appearance” in the play? (4 points)
External appearance was believed by many in Jacobean times to be at odds with what lay within (goodness or evil)
Appearance vs. reality is a central issue in Othello, and the imagery of ‘seeming’ permeates the language of this and many other Shakespearean plays
No one can be sure of anything if appearances are deceptive - means that character judgement is false, knowledge erroneous and truth elusive
This conundrum torments Othello - lago looks honest so he assumes him incapable of villainy
What is the significance of “reason” in the play? (4 points)
The failure of reason was seen as the cause of the fall of Man - Adam followed his love for Eve to overrule his better judgment and obedience to God
Elizabethans therefore believed it was dangerous to let reason be dominated by passion
Othello giving way to his wrath (becoming uncontrollably emotional) is his downward turning point - his intellect is what makes him human (superior to beasts) and keeps him sane
A lack of reason will always lead to tragic consequences as in a state of heightened passion:
+ Mistakes are made
+ Impulses are activated without sufficient reflection to moderate them
+ One is no longer in control of oneself or the situation
What is the context behind “evil spirits” in Othello? (4 points)
Evil spirits were believed to always be within earshot and looking for opportunities to corrupt and snatch a human soul from the pathway of righteousness
Characters like Iago (1.3) and Othello (3.3) seal their damnation - they are tempted enough to invoke spirits from murky hell to help them commit foul deeds
Othello fears this is what he has done in marrying Desdemona - however, Othello’s invitation to evil takes the form of him giving ear to lago’s temptations
What is the context behind damnation in Othello? (4 points)
The fear of damnation and hell is apparent in Shakespeare’s work - the journey to hell is part of the tragic process
Stems from the contemporary conviction that there was such a place below ground, inhabited by tormented souls allowed to walk the earth between midnight and dawn
Hell was typically portrayed the way Othello describes it - engulfed in dark flames fuelled by sulphur (brimstone) to torture human flesh
The Elizabethans also believed in diabolic possession and the incarnation of the devil and his agents in human form - how Othello finally sees lago in Act 5
What is the context behind jealousy in Othello? (3 points)
Irrational jealousy was viewed as a sudden infection which there was no prevention or cure
It eroded trust and dissolved the bonds holding together marriages, families and the social framework by letting in evil and chaos
It guarantees calamity and tragedy
What is the context behind lying in Othello? (4 points)
Telling lies was a form of deception considered to be a much more serious offence then than nowadays
It meant putting one’s soul at risk, especially since promises and oaths were thought to be witnessed by heaven
It was a diabolical trick as Satan told lies to Eve in the Garden of Eden - telling the truth was the way to shame the Devil
A gentleman’s word was assumed to be the truth unless there was good reason to believe otherwise (not in Iago’s case) and it was a grave insult to call someone a liar
What is the context behind chaos in Othello? (4 points)
Chaos was the undoing of God’s creation - a return to darkness and nothingness indicating the breakdown of the Chain of Being
For chaos to come again, the world must be de-created through a ‘gross revolt’ (1.1) against nature - what Desdemona is accused of by Iago (for choosing Othello) and Othello (for her lust)
The barrier against chaos is reason - Othello asks lago for a reason and is refused the last time he speaks to him
Without a cause, the universe makes no sense and madness and chaos rule
What is the context behind courtly love in Othello?
Romance was the genre of courtly love - represented by Cassio, the attractive ladies’ man with his chivalrous manners and poetic language
He is devoted to the fair lady whom he worships as a divinity - she is expected to have rival suitors for her hand, competing for the right to serve her
Romance concerned exotic tales of magic, superstition and travel to distant parts, as well as love affairs, and brought together the masculine ideals of the soldier and the lover, as in the Arthurian legends
By definition, the courtly lover had to be a member of high society and concerned above all with the notions of honour and reputation - this ideal goes tragically wrong
