General context Flashcards
Desdemona was perhaps written to reflect what monarch
Queen Elizabeth
How does Desdemona emulate Queen Elizabeth
Much like QE Desdemona induces a questioning of the patriarchal order of society with her bold personality
She is exceedingly individualistic
Shakespeare portrays a ________ ________ microcosm with subtle hints of _________ ideals
Woman centred
Feminist
Gradually exposes CA to feminist ideals
Othello is a ________ play much like ______
Revenge play
Hamlet
Othello was written during the _________ era but performed during the _________ era
Elizabethan
Jacobean
what was the name of the popular book written by William Gouge and what was it about
‘Of domestic duties’
Regarding female obedience , women = servile creatures
How is Desdemona typical of Shakespeare’s female characters and offer other examples
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
how does the play exemplify typical features of a revenge play
Iago seeks revenge for an imagined wrongdoing (central focus of the play)
Othello brutally murders Desdemona
Has a clear villain (iago)
revenge plays were common in the ________ era
Jacobean
Desdemona goes against ________ custom by marrying Othello
Venetian
A contemporary audience would view Desdemona’s behaviour as ….
Whereas for a modern audience …..
Dishonourable
Whereas for a modern audience it is greatly common for women to explore their sexual desires
Brabantios views on Desdemona’s subordinate behaviour were ________ in his time
Orthodox
Othello is a __________ tragedy because ….
Renaissance
It is centred around one big character (arguably Iago or Othello)
describe the benefit of Othello being a play and not a novel
A play constructs direct communication/intimacy with the audience unlike a novel therefore catharsis is endemic in Othello - Au experiences emotions alongside the actors
Shakespeare explores controversial views of racial prejudice and womens roles to a certain extent why is this?
In order for his intrepid play attract a contemporary audience and not be shunned for a bold outlook
What is protofeminism
A concept that anticipates modern feminism in era when the feminist concept as such was still unknown
Jacobean society was very _________
Hierarchical
give three Jacobean values
Loyal
Brave
Serve their country the best they can
(Like Othello so CA may admire him in spite of his race)
give three Jacobean values
Loyal
Brave
Serve their country the best they can
(Like Othello so CA may admire him in spite of his race)
Jacobean plays had a great deal of _______
Realism
Shakespeare destabilises this by offering his female characters a slice of self-government
Jacobean plays were particularly ______ , ______ and ________
Violent , cynical , pessimistic
a popular style of theatre during Jacobean times was the _________ play
Revenge
Men were expected to be the ____ of the _________ when married during these eras
Head , household
for women it was a norm to be _______ or yet to be _________
Married
Brabantio is enraged by Desdemona’s betrayal as a family’s honour was tethered to its daughters __________
Chastity
women were allowed ________ opportunities for involvement
Limited
men were ________ _________ forces who expected _________ ________ from their wives
Decisive dominant
Dutiful acquiesces
a persons _______ depended on his or her descent through the _____ line
Identity
Male
Assists in chiselling the severe hierarchical Jacobean society
_________ was especially salient during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras
Religion
What were Eurocentric views on African men and how does Othello negate these
Eurocentric views were that African men are barbaric , illiterate and promiscuous
Othello negates these stereotypical views by evincing his articulate and well mannered personality
name a Shakespeare critic
Stephen Greenblatt
What was the tragic genre in the renaissance era derived from
Derived from the Aristotelian notion of the tragic flaw
what does Shakespeare delineate about the preconceptions regarding women in these eras
Shakespeare delineates how preconceptions about women in general damage individuals and limit the experience of love
Othello expresses issues such as ______ ________, ________ and _______ ________
Clandestine marriage , adultery , social class
the Scottish Protestant leader john Knox wrote …..
“Women in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man”
Why were women fundamentally perceived to be untrustworthy by the church
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
What is cuckoldry
Cuckoldry was having a wife who is unfaithful this was humiliating for a patriarch
Throughout the play what term is used to alienate and other Othello
‘The Moor’
in the early 17th century what largely shaped attitudes toward non-Europeans
Exotic stories as people fetishised the unknown
The term ‘Moor’ was used ______ to refer to people of colour
Loosely
A broad generalisation
How were ‘Moor’s’ commonly stereotyped
Sexually overactive , prone to jealousy and wicked
’Moor’s’ were not totally subjugated give an example
Othello is an example of a ‘moor’ who was able to rise through the ranks of social & military hierarchy
what was the colour black traditionally associated with
Savagery , sin , moral corruption and lasciviousness
How would a CA react to racial prejudices throughout the play in contrast to a MA
CA = appalled that the titular protagonist is black man - bold move by Shakespeare MA = disrelish the racism and stereotypes weaved into the play
what did Queen Elizabeth say about ‘moors’
they “are crept into this realm” - uncomfortable tone
by making Othello the ‘othered’ protagonist Shakespeare explores with sympathy …….
The inevitable insecurity of the outsider who is admired and feared
where is the play set
Venice and Cyprus
First act = Venice
Rest of the acts Venice
Paranoia , constantly Othello’s _______ is proven to be his ________
Nemesis
Hamartia
Othello is employed by the _________ to lead their army against the _______ forces
Venetians
Turkish
what does Aristotle say the plot of a play has to include
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)
Suffragist Millicent Fawcett believed in “a grand _________ between __________ classes of women” how are Emilia and Desdemona early examples of this
“Freemasonry” “different” Emilia and desdemona exhibit early signs of this modern view through female solidarity despite class differences
what was the norm for gender roles
the sturdy defensive man as the norm, the tough self-reliant woman as the exception
What is a malcontent
A discontented character who is, for some reason, left out
how are malcontents presented
Intelligent individuals without high status
give an example of a malcontent who is not a villain and one who is (besides iago)
Hamlet malcontent not a villain
Bosoloa from a play called ‘the duchess of malfi’ = malcontent villain
who was Coleridge and what was his comment on iago hundreds of years after the play
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
The play begins in ____ ____
Media res - mid conversation between Roderigo and Iago
