Othello by William Shakespeare

Renaissance: Brief Historical Context Roughly 14th to 17th century Shakespeare wrote during the 16th and beginning of 17th centuries Period of violent and sweeping change Authority of the Roman Catholic Church questioned National govt. formed around strong monarchs Merchant and professional classes grew

Renaissance: Humanism Renaissance means “re-birth” Humanism is from the Italian word, “umanista” Focus on humanism: Intellectual movement Emphasized human powers to know and change the world Insisted on scholar’s rights to pursue knowledge without being constrained by Church dogma Directed attention to classical Greek and Roman learning and developed new approaches to literature, history, and science

Renaissance: Religion Arguably, the most important person in Europe before the Renaissance was the Pope Catholicism was the dominant religion in Europe (America was in its infancy) England, under Queen Elizabeth I, became Protestant Movement away from one school of thought and toward the emphasis on individual choice

Renaissance: Women in the Renaissance Had few rights during this time period Confined to the domestic sphere, but not necessarily unhappy No general trend that they were mistreated or unhappy Role was limited largely due to lack of birth control Had a baby, on average, every two years Made it impractical to work full time

Renaissance: Women in the Renaissance Women’s limitations: Could not be educated by a tutor, but schools were reserved for boys Not allowed to vote Could not enter the professions (law, medicine, politics, etc.) Could not be heirs to their father’s titles Man had the legal right to chastise his wife as he was seen as the head of the marriage.

Queen Elizabeth I Called the Virgin Queen because refused to get married At the time, it was unheard of for a woman to rule without a king. She proclaimed that she is married to her country – England. Had to be very careful by still presenting herself as a woman to not offend the culture of her time

Plot Overview Othello (a Moor and Captain in the Venetian army) marries Desdemona, a white Venetian, which upsets her father. Additionally, Iago (Othello’s ancient or assistant) is jealous of Othello’s promotion. He wants Othello fired and tormented. Iago concocts an elaborate plan to convince Othello that Desdemona is sleeping with another man.

Othello is a Moor means he is most likely a Muslim of Arab or North African (Berber) descent (this point has been argued, however) because of this, he is often portrayed as having dark skin

What is a Moor?…the Other Moors were characterized as being alternately or even simultaneously noble/ monstrous, civil/ savage Being a different race meant being an Other (non-English, non-Christian, etc.) Queen Elizabeth expelled Jews, Africans, and “Blackamoors” from England in 1596 and 1601. Many blacks in England were slaves, most were persecuted. Many felt foreigners were a threat to cultural homogeneity (sameness) - ethnocentrism: belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group - xenophobia:Intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries

Setting The play begins in Venice, Italy. However, the Duke sends Othello to Cyprus to protect the island from the Turks (Ottomans) at the end of Act I.