OTHELLO CONTEXT Flashcards
1
Q
CULTURAL CONTEXT: CYPRUS + VENICE
A
- Cyprus was annexed by Venice in 1480 but conquered by the Turks in 1571
- The play presents the wish-fufilment of western Europeans that a venetian fleet had destroyed the Turks
- Venice was its own oligarchic city-state whose ebormoud wealth mainly came through trade predominately with the Turks
- Venice was viewed as a place of luxury and culture
2
Q
What would the word Moor mean for a Jacobean audience?
A
- A memer of the mixed Berber and Arab race of Morocco
- Signified Othello’s otherness and marked him as an outsider
- Moors came from Morocco and symbolised something often devilsh in Reinassance drama
3
Q
Why is dramatic tension created in Othello?
A
- By the fact Othello is different
4
Q
How did Abraham Ortelius (cartographer) describe Moors?
A
‘Strong, sturdy men prone to jealousy and never forget’
5
Q
Why is Iago’s name significant?
A
- Was a spanish name
- Spain were England’s greatest enemy at that time as they were their biggest competition in colonization
- Another indication Iago is gonna be the biggest opp
6
Q
A
