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Historical Context

Historical Context. First performed in 1604 Written during Shakespeare’s tragic period Backdrop of the wars between Venice and Turkey Shakespeare’s information probably came from The History of the Turks by Richard Knolles , which was published in England in the autumn of 1603.

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Historical Context

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  1. Historical Context • First performed in 1604 • Written during Shakespeare’s tragic period • Backdrop of the wars between Venice and Turkey • Shakespeare’s information probably came from The History of the Turks by Richard Knolles, which was published in England in the autumn of 1603

  2. 1603: death of Queen Elizabeth 1 • No clear heir to the throne of England • James I of Scotland took the throne • Pirates and privateers were very common under Elizabeth’s rule • Signed the Treaty of London (1604) with Spain

  3. What does this have to do with Shakespeare? • Heavily influenced by what is happening in England • Historically, the war between Venice and Turkey ended in the 1500s • Why would Othello be set to this backdrop? • Parallel to what is happening in England: Spain vs. England

  4. History of Othello • Not an original creation of Shakespeare’s • “Un Capitono Moro” by Giovanni Battista GiraldiCinzio • Original story only contained the outline of Shakespeare’s plot: Moor general deceived by his ensign (right hand man) into believing his wife is unfaithful • Shakespeare added new characters, such as Roderigo and Brabanzio, Desdemona’s father • Compressed the action to the space of a few days • Most important change: changed the ensign (minor villain) inot the arch-villianIago • Can be debated that the play is actually about Iagoand his manipulation of the other characters

  5. Othello’s race • Othello’s race is constantly open to debate • The word “Moor” has a different meaning today • Othell’s darkness or blackness is alluded to many times in the play • Opposition of black and white imagery is a marker of difference between Othello and the other characters • Creates a tension in the play

  6. Heroic or Egotistical? • Thought to be one of Shakespeare’s most heroic plays • Debates over whether Othello is a heroic character or simply egotistical • Largest role of a Moor character in Elizabethan England • Othello is seen to be a noble figure with great authority and respect • Iago is the only character with a stereotypical view of Othello (look at his word choice when describing Othello)

  7. Othello by Nabil Kanso A series of 70 paintings depicting love, race, jealousy, and evil

  8. Themes of the Play Some of the themes we will be looking at while reading Othello: • Jealousy • Prejudice • Appearance and Reality

  9. Major Characters • Iago • Othello • Desdemona

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