Genre of Tragedy Flashcards
When was the play first performed?
1604
What could the play have been based on?
A performance called Un Capitano Moro (1565)
What is ‘Othello’ a modernised version of?
Othello is Shakespeare’s modernised version of a tale of deception that has transcended time & cultures
What previous Shakespeare play featured a moor as a villain?
‘Titus Andronicus’
What can the play be seen as other than race?
A politically controversial play about how class, patriarchal order, race and pride can destroy a marriage and lead to death
What is Aristotle’s definition of tragedy?
‘A play of direct action, told in a dramatic way containing a character that has a serious fall from a high-status position. This fall occurs because of the character’s own fatal flaw’
What did Aristotle believe was the point of tragedy?
Aristotle believed the whole point of a tragedy was to bring about catharsis
What did Aristotle argue was not as important as plot?
Character
What does Shakespeare teach through ‘Othello’?
A moral lesson
What would raise questions to audiences and lead them to believe Othello is untrustworthy?
Othello’s commitment to Christianity, as told in Act 2 Scene 3 by Iago, would raise questions due to moor’s generally being Muslim
What is weak about Othello’s hamartia?
Can Othello’s flaw of jealousy be considered a flaw? We are not born with jealousy. Is he more likely to be a victim of insecurity, due to his race, age etc?
How is Othello different to Macbeth?
Othello seen to be much more ordinary than a European king, such as Macbeth, as his hamartia is a normal human emotion
What did Coleridge say about Iago’s soliloquies?
Iago’s soliloquies reveal the ‘motive-hunting of motiveless malignity’
What may Coleridge have meant?
Coleridge may have meant that these motives are excuses for inherent evil and enjoyment of torturing others, evidenced by the lack of plan at the start of the play
Where do many of Iago’s actions occur, suggesting evil?
At night
