70 likes | 187 Views
As usualjust an idea he adopted. The plot of Shakespeare's Othello is largely taken from Giraldi Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, a tale of love, jealousy, and betrayalHowever, the characters, themes, and attitudes of the works are vastly different, with Shakespeare's play being a more involved study o
E N D
1. By the Bard
2. As usual…just an idea he adopted The plot of Shakespeare's Othello is largely taken from Giraldi Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, a tale of love, jealousy, and betrayal
However, the characters, themes, and attitudes of the works are vastly different, with Shakespeare's play being a more involved study of human nature and psychology.
3. Setting Begins in Venice, Italy and transitions to the island of Cyprus
Printed in 1622
4. Background Info 1 HUGE difference in the motivation of Iago, the antagonist
I’ll explain later as we read the play
Iago's motivations are not nearly so plain in Shakespeare's version.
Othello also touches upon a major issue in Europe of this time period
The intermingling of Muslim religion and culture with the West
5. Othello is considered to be a prime example of Aristotelian drama
It focuses upon a very small cast of characters, one of the smallest used in Shakespeare, has few distractions from the main plot arc, and concentrates on just a few themes, like jealousy
Background Info
6. Iago The character of Iago is a variation on the Vice figure found in earlier morality plays
He deviates from this model because of his lack of a clear motivation,
7. Why is it so popular? One reason for the overwhelming popularity of the play throughout the ages is that it focuses on two people who defied society in order to follow their own hearts
8. Themes Appearance vs. reality
Race
Pride
Magic Order vs. chaos
Good vs. evil
Honesty
Self-knowledge