Othello Context

Question 1

Cinthio’s version

Answer 1

D = only named chara
Murdered by Moor
I = m evil than Ensign
Shakespeare has added m charas e.g., B - adds m depth to O’s situ - intensifies reasons for insecurity & why he is so easily manip
R adds m depth to I’s chara - shows how wide web of auth is

Question 2

Class Difference

Answer 2

Watched by all classes - crude jokes appeal to less educated also mimic and undermine the main plot & provide comic relief from intensity of the plot

Question 3

Psychology

Answer 3

Exploration of the psychology of charas = typical for the renaissance period in theatre

Question 4

Othello’s portrayal

Answer 4

The fact O was written as a black chara by a white Jacobean man undermines his characterisation in the play it can be questioned how much of a stereotype he is and how much a genuine depiction of a black man.

I’s refs to O as black are loaded with moral undertones as at the time white was linked to purity and innocence and black was viewed as the antithesis of this

Question 5

Venice

Answer 5

Venice is a rare example of a contemp republican gov for OG audience = fascination with it among Renaissance viewer - end of the Tudor period approaching and not clear who would inherit so interest in alternatives forms of ruling

Venice viewed as an exciting exotic place and also of having a dangerous sense of otherworldliness it seemed alluring and magical - links to Africa and the Middle East - D’s interest in O’s life reflects this to an extent
Therefore Venice is an ideal place to project and explore English anxieties and preoccupations onto

Question 6

Desdemona

Answer 6

Means ill fated