Othello CONTEXT Flashcards

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1
Q

Race
P.T 1

A
  • Black people were seen as lower on the chain of being.
  • They possessed animalistic qualities and had a primitive nature.
  • Fit only to be slaves - However othello is high born and respected. Going against society’s expectations. (Othello says how he was sold to slavery and escaped)
  • Seen as exotic and mysterious but evil and savage.
  • Were often associated with witchcraft.
  • Seen as having an unnatural sexual appetite “lascivious”
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2
Q

Race
P.T 2

A

The devil was portrayed as having black skin.
- Black people were often villains in the plays however Othello isn’t??
- In Cyprus Othello begins to conform to societal expectations of the time.
- Desdemona as a white venetian gets sympathy, or would have from an audience at the time.
- Black people were seen as having a physical disformity and it was the devils mark.
- Because Iago looks honest because he’s white, Othello sees him as incapable of villainy.

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3
Q

Gender
P.T 1

A
  • Jacobean society was a patriarchal one.
  • Women were lower than men on the chain of being.
  • Desdemona pushes the boundaries of this by disobeying her father and marrying Othello.
  • Seen as objects of their husband and fathers “Look to your house, your daughter and your bags” “I won his daughter” object - prize
  • Most men assumed venetian women were promiscuous, which explains why female sexuality is a huge threat to males in the play.
  • Gender and race overlap a lot in the play and several characters in the play believe that black men sexually contaminate white women, including Othello.
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4
Q

Gender
P.T 2

A
  • Othello is easily convinced his wife is cheating on him.
  • Desdemona seems a strong female character at the start of the play and doesn’t seem threatened.
  • Desdemona understands societal expectations “I am bound for life and education” she is also at times in the play shown as being a submissive character.
  • Desdemonas murder - being suffocated by bed sheets - shows how she’s suffocated by her faithfulness.
  • Bianca’s a prostitute and therefore low on the chain of being. Seen as a “fallen woman”.
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5
Q

Religion

A

Jacobean (and elizabethan) society was an era of religious beliefs.
- Battling the Turks - an era of religious war.
- Othello’s concept of Hell was a real concern of the time.
- Hellish language would have been shocking for a jacobean audience.
- Many people believed that black people couldn’t be christian as they were not aligned with god. Therefore the tragic end was inevitable.
- Women were viewed as untrustworthy because of Eve’s sin.

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6
Q

The Renaissance Man

A
  • The ideal man was well-balanced and in control of his emotions. Othello is portrayed as this at the start.
  • However this changes in Cyprus and progresses.
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7
Q

Venice

A
  • Known for its beauty, culture, civilisation and pleasure.
  • It was also known for its sexual freedom which is why venetian women were seen as promiscuous.
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8
Q

Seven Deadly Sins

A
  • foundation of morality.
  • Shakespeare employs them as a way of showing faults within protagonists and villains.
  • Othello-Wrath Iago-Envy
  • These sins are thought to lead to murder, as proved by Othello and Iago.
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9
Q

Jealousy and Chaos

A
  • Jealousy was seen as an infection with no cure or prevention. Evil Spirits.
  • Chaos was the undoing of gods creation, a return to darkness and the break of the chain of being.
  • Shakespeares contempories had a fear of the return to anarchy.
  • Othello and Iago are both overcome by jealousy and chaos.
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10
Q

Cuckoldry

A
  • This was a mans greatest fear becoming a horned beast, - This was a fear because it showed they couldn’t control there wife and had married someone with an unnatural sexual appetite.
  • Young beautiful wives would have captivated their husbands but were also seen as a target of other men, as Roderigo confirms.
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11
Q

Courtly Love

A
  • This is represented in Othello by Cassio, who is attractive. He uses poetic language and has a chivalrous manner.
  • The lady who he is devoted to is expected to have other suitors.
  • The courtly lover is a member of high society and concerned with the notions of honour and reputation.
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12
Q

Tragedy
P.T 1

A
  • The tragic hero has to be played by someone with some kind of power (king, or prince) and they make a mistake or have misfortune.
  • The tragic plot is that it must have a clear sense of plot and then a change in the heroes fortune from happiness to misery.
  • Anagnorisis is when the hero has a moment of realisation but can’t do anything about it as it is too late.
  • The audience experience catharsis through the heroes suffering and death.
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13
Q

Tragedy
P.T 2

A
  • 16th C critics said it was no longer than 24 hours, in only one place and no subplots but continuous action.
  • Shakespeare plays around with the convention as whilst Othello is primarily known as a tragedy it could also be a comedy.
  • The reign of James I was the most prolific period of english dramatic writing.
  • Jacobean tragedy’s revolve around an obsession with death, sexual passion and physical decay. Sin was always associated with sexuality.
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