| Villain (Iago) | responsible for the downfall of the tragic hero (Othello) |
| What makes this tragedy different from Shakespearean tragedies | there is no secondary plot |
| What collection of tales were ideas for this play taken from | Hecatommithi by Giraldi Cinthio, published in Venice in 1566 |
| When was this play probably written | in 1603 or 1604, a little past the middle of Shakespeare’s career (he was 40) |
| Where was this play performed | the Royal Court |
| When was the first recorded performance of this play and who was it performed for | 1604 and for King James I |
| Who played Othello | Richard Burbage, Shakespeare’s partner and fellow actor |
| What was Othello’s occupation | soldier from North Africa |
| What was Othello employed as | a general by the city-state of Venice |
| How did people view Othello | highly respected, but still an “outsider” because of his skin color |
| Who does Othello marry | Desdemona |
| What does Desdemona stand for | love, trust, and purity — all that makes life meaningful and worth living |
| Who protects Desdemona | her father |
| Describe Desdemona (A beautiful…. | A beautiful and accomplished young Venetian woman |
| Who is the soldier who works with Othello | Iago |
| What does Iago want to be | second in command with Othello |
| Who passes Iago over to be second in command | Cassio |
| What does Iago seek and plot to do? | Seeks vicious revenge and plots to destory all the othello values |
| Who is Emilia? | the maidservant to Desdemona |
| Who is Emilia married to | Iago |
| Who is Emilia loyal to? | to Desdemona, but will tell lies if it will help her husband |
| Who is Cassio? What does he not have much of | Gentleman soldier, not much real experience |
| What is Cassio a man of | a man of ability, loyalty, and grace |
| Who does Cassio respect | Desdemona and Othello |
| What does Cassio suffer from | a drinking problem |
| Who is the father of Desdemona | Brabantio |
| Who is in love with Desdemona and a fool | Roderigo |
| What does Roderigo listen to? | Iago’s plan to get Desdemona away from Othello |
| What is a dynamic character | character who changes from beginning to end |
| what is a static character | character who does not change |
| What type of character is Othello | Dynamic |
| What are 5 reasons Othello is a strong dynamic character | – courageous Venetian soldier- well respected – has reputation as man of honor – has vicious temper – becomes enraged with jealousy |
| What type of character is Iago | Static |
| What are 5 reasons Iago is a static character | – corrupt – hypocritical – evil – selfish – focused throughout the play to destroy Othello |
| What is a FOIL character | character who highlights or emphasizes certain traits of the main character by contrasting them |
| What are the two examples of foil characters | Emilia to Desdemona and Cassio to Iago |
| List the two internal conflicts Othello has with himself | – Doesn’t want to distrust Desdemona- Insecure about his qualities to enable Desdemona to love him |
| Describe the conflict between Iago and Othello | Iago hates Othello and plots to bring about his downfall |
| Describe the conflict between Iago and Cassio | Iago is jealous of Cassio and works to ruin his reputation, as well as separate from Othello’s friendship |
| Dramatic Irony | a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader of audience knows to be true |
| Situational Irony | an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, readers, or audience |
| Verbal Irony | words used to suggest the opposite of what is meant (i.e. sarcasm, double-entendre, etc.) |
| Name 5 themes in the novel | Destructive nature of jealousy, Importance of Honor and Reputation, Being an outsider, Appearance Versus Reality, and Loyalty Versus Treachery |
| List two points in the theme “Destructive nature of Jealousy” | -Iago jealous of Cassio’s position- Othello suspecting Desdemona’s unfaithfullness |
| List the two people important in discussing the theme “the importance of honor and reputation” | -Cassio -Desdemona |
| List the two points in discussing the theme of “Being an Outsider” | – Prejudice against Othello (for both skin color and that he is from Africa and not Venice)- Warrior rather than courtier and politician (unfamiliar with societal conventions, dealt mainly with men and battle, not women and love) |
| List the two points under the theme “Appearance versus reality” | -Honest Iago -Desdemona and Cassio |
| List the two main points under Loyalty versus Treachery | -The ones othello believes are treacherous are actually loyal (Cassio and Desdemona) -Role of Emilia (With her husband and with Desdemona) |
| Name 6 Motifs in the play | -animals-jealousy-sight and darkness-the handkerchief -magic -evil and the devil |
| What is a motif | major topics related to theme |
| What is the setting for Act I | venice |
| what is the setting for Act II – V | Cyprus |
| what century does the play take place in | 16th century |
| Venice | a city-state of enormous mercantile wealth (wealth from trade) |
| What was Venice famous for in Shakespeare’s time | its judicial system |
| Why was Venice’s trade partially choked off and what made Cyprus so important? | by the growing power of the Turkish empire in the 16th century, which extended into Europe as well as Asia and Arabia, hence the importance of Cyprus |
| Cyprus | Island near Turkey and Syria |
| What island was annexed by Venice in 1489 and conquered by the Turks in 1571 | Cyprus |
| Moor | in Shakespeare’s ime, equivalent to “African,” with the expectation that, such a person would be black. negative or derogatory word. |
| Ottoman, Ottomites | refer to the Turks |
| What religion are Moors | Muslim |
| What years did the Moors rule spain after they conquered in 711 | 711-1492 |
| Who took over spain after the Moors and what did they “bring” | Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand and they brought Christianity |
| What did the Moors do when they were forced to leave Spain | they became Gypsies in Europe and pirates in the seas near Europe, Asia, and Africa |
| Did Shakespeare create the character Othello as a tragic hero or villain | tragic hero |
| Ancient (en-sin) | a military rank, properly of a standard-bearer (same word as ensign) |
| What is Iago’s rank, which he resents | Ancient |
| Lieutenant | the rank which Cassio has just been given, literally meaning “place-holder” |
| Define Tragedy | drama in which the main character suffers a disaster after a serious struggle |
| what are the 5 requirements for there to be a tragic hero | 1. Noble/influential person 2. Meets with destruction b/c -personal flaw -opposition of others 3. Harsh punishment4. Character gains self-knowledge 5. Catharsis resulting in compassion -catharsis = cleansing or release of tense emotions |
| Fatal Flaw | error, weakness, mistaken judgment or misstep that causes the downfall of the hero…ask called hamartia from greek |
| Elizabethan tragic hero | much more often responsible for his own downfall rather than being a victim of fate. emphasizes the “waste of human potential” |
| List the 5 part dramatic structure | 1. Act I – exposition, or introduction2. Act II – rising action, or complications 3. Act III – Crisis, or Turning point 4. Act IV – falling action5. Act V – resolution or Denouement |
| Soliloquy | Character’s inner thoughts (truthful) spoken aloud where no other characters are present |
| Aside | Character’s inner thoughts spoken aloud with other characters present, but the other characters cannot hear the spoken thoughts |
| Elizabethan Theater | minimal scenery, little to no props used, rarely performed at night, female parts played by teenage boys, and actors not respected |
| Galleries | audience area covered by a roof (3 levels) |
| Yard | audience area w/o covering or seating “Groundlings” |
| Globe theater | pricing was based on comfort, nobility generally had private performances at their homes |
| Platform Stage | raised stage that projects into the audience |
| Heavens | pictures of moon, stars, and zodiac painted on the underside of the canopy covering the stage |
| Hell | under the stage, used for prop storage, trap door entrance to main stage |
| Iambic Pentameter | most common rhythm in English poetry |
| Blank verse | unrhymed iambic pentameter |
Othello Background Notes
September 7, 2019