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Othello > General context > Flashcards

General context Flashcards

1
Q

Desdemona was perhaps written to reflect what monarch

A

Queen Elizabeth

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2
Q

How does Desdemona emulate Queen Elizabeth

A

Much like QE Desdemona induces a questioning of the patriarchal order of society with her bold personality

She is exceedingly individualistic

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3
Q

Shakespeare portrays a ________ ________ microcosm with subtle hints of _________ ideals

A

Woman centred
Feminist

Gradually exposes CA to feminist ideals

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4
Q

Othello is a ________ play much like ______

A

Revenge play

Hamlet

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5
Q

Othello was written during the _________ era but performed during the _________ era

A

Elizabethan

Jacobean

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6
Q

what was the name of the popular book written by William Gouge and what was it about

A

‘Of domestic duties’

Regarding female obedience , women = servile creatures

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7
Q

How is Desdemona typical of Shakespeare’s female characters and offer other examples

A

Desdemona is viewed to be independent and daring a typical trait of Shakespeare’s female characters

E.g. lady Macbeth , Juliet all somewhat pragmatic intelligent individuals

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8
Q

how does the play exemplify typical features of a revenge play

A

Iago seeks revenge for an imagined wrongdoing (central focus of the play)
Othello brutally murders Desdemona
Has a clear villain (iago)

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9
Q

revenge plays were common in the ________ era

A

Jacobean

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10
Q

Desdemona goes against ________ custom by marrying Othello

A

Venetian

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11
Q

A contemporary audience would view Desdemona’s behaviour as ….
Whereas for a modern audience …..

A

Dishonourable

Whereas for a modern audience it is greatly common for women to explore their sexual desires

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12
Q

Brabantios views on Desdemona’s subordinate behaviour were ________ in his time

A

Orthodox

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13
Q

Othello is a __________ tragedy because ….

A

Renaissance

It is centred around one big character (arguably Iago or Othello)

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14
Q

describe the benefit of Othello being a play and not a novel

A

A play constructs direct communication/intimacy with the audience unlike a novel therefore catharsis is endemic in Othello - Au experiences emotions alongside the actors

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15
Q

Shakespeare explores controversial views of racial prejudice and womens roles to a certain extent why is this?

A

In order for his intrepid play attract a contemporary audience and not be shunned for a bold outlook

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16
Q

What is protofeminism

A

A concept that anticipates modern feminism in era when the feminist concept as such was still unknown

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17
Q

Jacobean society was very _________

A

Hierarchical

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18
Q

give three Jacobean values

A

Loyal
Brave
Serve their country the best they can
(Like Othello so CA may admire him in spite of his race)

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19
Q

give three Jacobean values

A

Loyal
Brave
Serve their country the best they can
(Like Othello so CA may admire him in spite of his race)

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20
Q

Jacobean plays had a great deal of _______

A

Realism

Shakespeare destabilises this by offering his female characters a slice of self-government

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21
Q

Jacobean plays were particularly ______ , ______ and ________

A

Violent , cynical , pessimistic

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22
Q

a popular style of theatre during Jacobean times was the _________ play

A

Revenge

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23
Q

Men were expected to be the ____ of the _________ when married during these eras

A

Head , household

24
Q

for women it was a norm to be _______ or yet to be _________

A

Married

25
Q

Brabantio is enraged by Desdemona’s betrayal as a family’s honour was tethered to its daughters __________

A

Chastity

26
Q

women were allowed ________ opportunities for involvement

A

Limited

27
Q

men were ________ _________ forces who expected _________ ________ from their wives

A

Decisive dominant

Dutiful acquiesces

28
Q

a persons _______ depended on his or her descent through the _____ line

A

Identity
Male
Assists in chiselling the severe hierarchical Jacobean society

29
Q

_________ was especially salient during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras

A

Religion

30
Q

What were Eurocentric views on African men and how does Othello negate these

A

Eurocentric views were that African men are barbaric , illiterate and promiscuous
Othello negates these stereotypical views by evincing his articulate and well mannered personality

31
Q

name a Shakespeare critic

A

Stephen Greenblatt

32
Q

What was the tragic genre in the renaissance era derived from

A

Derived from the Aristotelian notion of the tragic flaw

33
Q

what does Shakespeare delineate about the preconceptions regarding women in these eras

A

Shakespeare delineates how preconceptions about women in general damage individuals and limit the experience of love

34
Q

Othello expresses issues such as ______ ________, ________ and _______ ________

A

Clandestine marriage , adultery , social class

35
Q

the Scottish Protestant leader john Knox wrote …..

A

“Women in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man”

36
Q

Why were women fundamentally perceived to be untrustworthy by the church

A

Due to the original sin and Eve’s role in the fall of mankind

Perhaps Othello’s trust issues with Desdemona emulate the Church’s fundamental belief that women are untrustworthy

37
Q

What is cuckoldry

A

Cuckoldry was having a wife who is unfaithful this was humiliating for a patriarch

38
Q

Throughout the play what term is used to alienate and other Othello

A

‘The Moor’

39
Q

in the early 17th century what largely shaped attitudes toward non-Europeans

A

Exotic stories as people fetishised the unknown

40
Q

The term ‘Moor’ was used ______ to refer to people of colour

A

Loosely

A broad generalisation

41
Q

How were ‘Moor’s’ commonly stereotyped

A

Sexually overactive , prone to jealousy and wicked

42
Q

’Moor’s’ were not totally subjugated give an example

A

Othello is an example of a ‘moor’ who was able to rise through the ranks of social & military hierarchy

43
Q

what was the colour black traditionally associated with

A

Savagery , sin , moral corruption and lasciviousness

44
Q

How would a CA react to racial prejudices throughout the play in contrast to a MA

A 
CA = appalled that the titular protagonist is black man - bold move by Shakespeare
MA = disrelish the racism and stereotypes weaved into the play
45
Q

what did Queen Elizabeth say about ‘moors’

A

they “are crept into this realm” - uncomfortable tone

46
Q

by making Othello the ‘othered’ protagonist Shakespeare explores with sympathy …….

A

The inevitable insecurity of the outsider who is admired and feared

47
Q

where is the play set

A

Venice and Cyprus
First act = Venice
Rest of the acts Venice

48
Q

Paranoia , constantly Othello’s _______ is proven to be his ________

A

Nemesis

Hamartia

49
Q

Othello is employed by the _________ to lead their army against the _______ forces

A

Venetians

Turkish

50
Q

what does Aristotle say the plot of a play has to include

A

Unity of action
Unity of time
Unity of place - to offer the play a smooth flow , permits the audience to focus on the nucleus of the play (Iago’s revenge plot)

51
Q

Suffragist Millicent Fawcett believed in “a grand _________ between __________ classes of women” how are Emilia and Desdemona early examples of this

A 
“Freemasonry” “different” 
Emilia and desdemona exhibit early signs of this modern view through female solidarity despite class differences
52
Q

what was the norm for gender roles

A

the sturdy defensive man as the norm, the tough self-reliant woman as the exception

53
Q

What is a malcontent

A

A discontented character who is, for some reason, left out

54
Q

how are malcontents presented

A

Intelligent individuals without high status

55
Q

give an example of a malcontent who is not a villain and one who is (besides iago)

A

Hamlet malcontent not a villain

Bosoloa from a play called ‘the duchess of malfi’ = malcontent villain

56
Q

who was Coleridge and what was his comment on iago hundreds of years after the play

A

Coleridge was a romantic poet
“Motiveless malignity” - Iago depicts inconsistency in his motive for vengeance this is substantiated even centuries later by romantic poet Coleridge’s view that Iago has “motiveless malignity

57
Q

The play begins in ____ ____

A

Media res - mid conversation between Roderigo and Iago

Othello (5 decks)

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