Othello context Flashcards
which era was othello written in?
Renaissance
what are the features of the renaissance era?
Love as an overwhelming force of power and emotion
Love as the highest form of human experience
which places are othello set?
venice and cyprus
what is xenophobia?
prejudice towards those from other countries
what were Elizabethans against?
mixed marriages
how did queen Elizabeth I view black people?
she ordered a removal of black people as they were viewed as an annoyance
how were women treated in the renaissance?
women were expected to be ruled by men
had few legal rights
men saw their wives as property
any property of a woman when she married passed on to her husband
assertive and argumentative women were seen as a threat to social order and were punished
what was Shakespeare’s theatre like?
there were groundlings that paid only a penny to get in
higher classes sat in covered tiers
what were the staging practices in Renaissance?
there were little or no props and no where to store them
the stage was bear, meaning characters have to tell the audience where they are
in night scenes, the characters hold torches and candles to signify its night
what would the main prop be in Othello?
the bed that Othello strangles Desdemona on
why is venice used in Othello as a setting?
Italian settings portray secret love, affairs and revenge
it is a city of wealth and sophistication, but is a place of loose morals
why is Cyprus used as a setting after venice?
was a place of conflict and danger and it mirrors the tragic events that unfold there
it is an isolated setting
why does venice make othello feels like an outsider?
Iago claims he knows the women and what they are like in venice, which makes othello feel inadequate
