othello: critics and context Flashcards
(20 cards)
when was written and performed
1603 written
1604 performed
racism in 1600s england
in late 1500s there were attempts to eradicate black people from england especially london, due to fears of impurity. despite these early attempts at exclusion, Africans in Elizabethan England played important roles in society, particularly in the royal court. Some Africans were employed as servants or musicians, while others gained attention for their unique skills.
Elizabeth’s reign showed the complexities of racial attitudes. While the monarch supported exclusionary measures, she did not initiate widespread persecution of African people, and some individuals were able to attain positions of influence and respect. Elizabeth’s government also took part in trade with African nations, a growing aspect of England’s expanding maritime empire.
the monarchy at 1603
elizabethan ends in 1603
james 1 1603 to 1625
literary era and impact of that
renaissance era, a rich period of literature and theatre
elizabethan era: religion, literature and drama
RELIGION
- protestant
- restored the church of england
LITERATURE
- extremely rich period of literature
- revival of latin and greek; classical schools of study, which can be seen in “othello” ‘sport for jove’ ‘by janus’
- Pamphlets and treatises were freely written and literary discussions slowly grew in importance and frequency.
DRAMA
There were a lot of difficulties because of which the theatres had to closed in 1589. There was a considerable amount of puritanical opposition and anti-drama literature. Despite all these difficulties, the theatre managed to reach a splendid consummation, especially for Shakespeare.
what is an aristotelian tragedy
‘imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude… through pity and fear effecting the purgation of these emotions’
aspects of an a.n tragedy
plot
character
thought
diction
spectacle
unity of time, place, and action
plot
character
aristotle’s idea of the perfect tragedy is one in which the protagonist, usually of high birth, experiences a fall from grace. this makes their story tragic and compelling. the story should be set in a time period different from the present day, and the audience should be able to empathize with the protagonist’s plight.
thought
must give the audience
- catharsis; purgation of emotions
- a show of suffering
- food for thought about life and itts difficult choices
- a lesson about life and how to live it
spectacle
He believed that tragedy should be an imitation of reality, and that it should be based on the principle of catharsis. Catharsis is the idea that tragedy can purify the emotions and provide a release from them. Aristotle believed that tragedy should provoke pity and fear in its audience, and that these emotions should be experienced in a way that is purifying and cleansing.
unity of time, place and action
- unity of action: a tragedy should have one principal action.
- unity of time: the action in a tragedy should occur over a period of no more than 24 hours. broken in othello; dual time frame
- unity of place: a tragedy should exist in a single physical location. broken in othello
why is unity of time broken in othello
why is unity of place broken in othello
venice - diverse, reason, hypocrisy is covered; the duality of the society (othello is revered and despised) is somewhat hidden/restrained
cyprus - warlike, stagnant, unfamiliar, isolated, uncertain; baser emotions are heightened and characters are more vulnerable
the geographical shift mirrors a narrative and character shift from reason to chaos. it is a catalyst for othello’s downfall; it allows for the deus ex machina and sudden shift from external to internal war; it allows for a mingling of public and private, govt and love, war/duty and love/betrayal.
stereotypes of black people. especially N/W africans
- regualrly singled out in england
- complex racial dynamics at and around time allowed for some to become famous and prominent
- derogatory names: villain, devil, moor (basc any ethnic person, or non christian; so equating POC with faithlessness)
- sexually overactive
- prone to jealousy
- witchcraft
- generally wicked
- physiognomy: blackness = corruption
gender context in and around 1600s england
- battle of the sexes controversy:
- ideas of gendered inversion, failed patriarchs, and disorderly women permeate the mental world of early modern England.
- patriarchal, where women had a low status and faced severe punishments for sexual transgressions eg whipping for bearing a bastard child - reinforced by protestant teaching
- ideal women were virgins, but because of the ascribed nature of these labels, women were subject to defamation to become a lusty wench or adultress
- ideas of witchcraft
- sexually insatiable
- ideas of ownership; men as dictators of women and expected to control their women
- male sexual anxiety. fear of being deceived by women
venice at the time was
at war with the ottoman empire, introducing this idea of war and subverting it to be about love
wilson knight
OTHELLO MUSIC ESSAY QUOTES
- iago as “formless and colourless”
- the play is “the spirit of negation set against that of creation”
OTHELLO MUSIC ESSAY IDEAS
- othello music as overblown, concrete, curated and lengthy, insincere. he includes these concrete images to compound and solidify the contents of his speech
- his language as well as the characters give the play a solidity, familiarity, relatability, concreteness,,
- and this is infiltrated by the inexplicable and motiveless iago. he has none of these things. he embodies ‘negation’, or absence, destruction, distortion. he is antithetical to the envt and characters; the world of concreteness
- as iago taints othellos worldview, this is reflect in his language. his language as a reflection of his perspective. the semantics shift as the psychological invasion occurs
- religious aspects of the play: the heavenly as love; devilishness as unfaithfulness, mistrust and cynicism
margaret webster believes (no direct quote)
othellos expressive language is essential to conveying his tragic grandeur
(check chat)
(the hchief)
william toole III
THEME OF TRANSFORMATION
QUOTES
- the emergence of iagothello ; their convergence
IDEAS
- des transforms in the eyes of her father (his mindset is darkened and clouded in 1.1, iagos antagonising racialised and biblical language provoking b into believing des has been charmed. she inexplicably becomes one who loves ‘what she feared to look on? to fear, not to delight!’) ,,
- (and othello).
- iago turns others into beasts. cassio and his drunkenness, he describes himself as ‘bestial’. he denounces the alcohol as the devil but it was really the tool of a devillish character. a similar regressive journey is undertaken by othello, also facilitated by iago, as iago also “puts a devilish enemy in his mouth that steals away his brains and, for a time, makes a beast of him”
- the play tells us the main attribute of a base mind is jealousy and iago “pulls down to his level a noble-minded man and causes him, in some measure, to look for a time through his (iagos) eyes”
