what are cuckolds?
men who have been cheated on - are now a horned beast - too weak to control wives’ sexuality - shamed in society - lose their dignity/reputation/pride
what would the cast have been like?
-cast would’ve been entirely male
- a white British man, playing a man of African origin, that was written by a white Jacobean man , alters our perception of race in the play
- this undermines the credibility of Othello’s characterisation and we question to what extent is he a moor
what could greatly damage a man’s pride and reputation in the Jacobean era?
his wife’s sexuality/promiscuity
who was the play enjoyed by ?
- enjoyed by high society, the monarch, and lower classes aswell
- those who could not afford a seat had to stand and pay one penny and were called the groundings
What does Shakespeare suggest by making cuckoldry a predominant fear throughout Othello ?
Shakespeare warns Jacobean audiences of the societal dangers that come with infidelity
Othello never speaks in soliloquy’s which is unusual for a tragic hero
This could suggest Shakespeare wants to present Othello as an insecure character whom can’t assess and focus on himself
philosophical context
- Most Elizabethans believed in the devil and accepted evil was hard to detect, thus making Iago’s deceptions both plausible and terrifying.
- The need for Desdemona to confess her “sin” before she dies reflects the Christian beliefs about a “good death” and how to prepare for eternal life and reconciliation with God.
Othello’s race throughout the play
-Othello’s darkness or blackness is alluded to many times in the play, but Shakespeare and other Elizabethans frequently described brunette or darker than average Europeans as black.
-the question of Othello’s exact race is open to some debate. The word Moor now refers to the Islamic Arabic inhabitants of North Africa who conquered Spain in the eighth century, but the term was used rather broadly in the period and was sometimes applied to Africans from other regions.
black and white imagery
- The opposition of black and white imagery that runs throughout Othello is certainly a marker of difference between Othello and his European peers, but the difference is never quite so racially specific as a modern reader might imagine it to be
the war of cyprus
- Shakespeare set Othello against the epic backdrop of an ongoing religious conflict between Christian Republic of Venice and the Muslim Ottoman Empire.
- This conflict had raged off and on since the mid-fifteenth century, and by the time the play premiered at the beginning of the seventeenth century, four Ottoman–Venetian wars had already taken place. The most recent bout of violence, which occurred between 1570 and 1573, was known as the War of Cyprus
significance of setting
- The victory helped restore Christian control of the region, and in leading the charge against the Muslim fleet, the former Muslim Othello cements his allegiance to Christian Europe.
- However, Othello’s victory also enflames Iago’s jealousy, and the celebrations that follow Othello’s achievement provide Iago with an opportunity to set his plan in motion.
- The continued instability in the play’s domestic drama may be said to mirror the tensions between the Venetians and Ottomans, which continued well into the eighteenth century.
why did Shakespeare set it abroad
- because venice is a place which is both familiar and exotic and so its an ideal setting to which english anxieties and preoccupations can be explored
- plus the racism and fear of outsiders in the play, such as iagos derogatory language, is most likely a reflection of english fears and behaviours
why is it set in cyprus when it features venetian characters
this setting is even further removed from the English audience, both geographically and symbolically
- whilst venice is ‘ at the edge of civilsation’ , cyrpus is even more unknown and so its more dangerous and closer to the arab / turkish world
subservient wives and rebellion
- Desdemona rebels against the restrictions of society, as she asserts her own sense of agency by marrying Othello. So does Emilia, with her speech in the Willow Scene- she subverts the stereotype, and for this reason has to be killed. She is not a subservient women, a complacent wife, who shares the views of society- she is a woman before her time.
societal expectations of women
- Desdemona represents the dual vulnerability and resilience of women who challenge societal expectations.
- Though bound by love and loyalty to Othello, her independence and assertiveness in defending Cassio and questioning male authority ultimately lead to her tragic downfall, reflecting how women’s assertiveness was often viewed as suspicious or threatening.
-Shakespeare explores the fragility of female agency in a world quick to misinterpret women’s intentions, with Desdemona embodying the tragic consequences of misplaced male distrust and societal restrictions on women’s autonomy.
a male dominated world
- Elizabethan society during Shakespeare’s time was heavily influenced by masculine ideals that shaped every facet of daily life. As a result, Shakespeare’s portrayal of female characters often appears limited by the male-dominated norms of his culture.
- For modern readers, an initial glance at Shakespeare’s works may suggest he had little concern for women’s autonomy, even labeling him a chauvinist
- Though Elizabethan England was ruled by a queen, it remained bound by deeply entrenched patriarchal norms, which shaped Shakespeare’s creative choices.
