The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice Historical Context and Background

A Tragedy: Common Characteristics Hubris – extreme pride, over-confidence Anagnorisis - realisation Hamartia – error or character flaw Catharsis - acceptance and healing Heroes are victims of their own excesses or self-deception Lack of understanding prevents them from seeing the truth Suffer from inner conflict Characters of high power or status

Setting The play uses the comedy structure of old husband + young bride And the typical Shakespearean comic geography of dual locations (e.g. Midsummer Night’s Dream) Venice is a city and place of reason Cyprus is a wilderness and place of irrationality and emotion

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/eu.htm

Setting of Venice: 1570-1571 Venice was a city-state; a republic ruled by the wealthy It was extremely wealthy due to trade – it was ideally positioned to trade with Western Europe, Greece, Africa and the rest of the world The wealth of Venice helped fund the Renaissance, the building of impressive architecture It was a centre of culture At the time, English considered Italians to be wicked, murderous, and have loose morals

Venice and the Renaissance Partly inspired by classical Greece and Rome The wealth of Venice meant great artworks and buildings were commissioned It protected its trade with strong military force Venice was cosmopolitan – Jews, Arabs, and Europeans came together However, it was also seen as a barrier defending Christian Europe from the Muslims of Turkey and the Middle East Therefore, Cyprus was of extreme strategic importance

Geography and Control Venice controlled the island of Cyprus from 1489-1570. The island was a place for commerce and a good location for the Venetian fleet in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. Cyprus was lost to the Turks in 1571.

Setting of Cyprus: 1570-1571 Island 40 mi. south of Turkey Birthplace of Goddess Aphrodite, the Goddess of love, beauty and procreation During 1570-1571, the Turks attacked Cyprus, while under Venetian Possession Strategically located island but vulnerable to attack

Shifting Setting Othello is asked to help defend Cyprus against the Ottoman Turks. Desdemona accompanies Othello to Cyprus. It is unusual that a woman would go with her husband on military business.

Setting and Character Othello in Venice Othello in Cyprus In Venice, Othello acts calmly and employs reason with decision making He is concerned with honour and virtue He is content with his life In Cyprus, he is emotional and irrational He becomes paranoid, especially in regard to Desdemona He is susceptible to Iago’s manipulation

Background on Moors More recently, a Moor is used to refer to a Muslim of Mixed Arab and Berber (North African-Sudanese) descent In Shakespeare’s time, it also may have referred to anyone of African descent Comes from “Mauritania”—Northwest African country Invaded Spain in 711 and dominated until the 11th century Had great dynasties up until 1492 when the last of their cities was conquered by Spain Virtually exterminated by Spain during the Inquisition (late 1400s-1820)

Moors during Shakespeare’s Time The slave trade had just begun when Shakespeare was writing Othello He and his audience would have begun to see slaves being led through the streets in chains Black people were often seen as primitive The play depicts Othello as an outsider – an object of fascination and suspicion and himself insecure

Othello: A Moor Discriminated against because of his race He has been accepted in some ways because he is a Christian and a military genius His marriage to Desdemona reflects the prevailing view toward interracial marriage

Thematic Aspects Jealousy Appearance versus Reality Love Brotherly love Race/Prejudice Betrayal versus Loyalty Gender roles The danger of isolation

Motifs, Imagery, & Symbols Animals Darkness Black & white Evil/devil Handkerchief Water The candle Music Plants Sight/blindness

Essential Questions: In what ways are language and power inseparable? Is humankind inherently good or evil? In the face of adversity, what causes some people to prevail while others fail? What kind of trust and loyalty is healthy for Othello? How are women in “Othello” portrayed as compared to men? What kind of affect does jealousy have on the characters in “Othello?” How does Othello’s change in loyalties affect the progression of the play? What is a tragic hero, and how does Othello fit that description? How can pride be seen as both an asset and a detriment?