WEEK 8 BBL 3208

1. WEEK 8BBL 3208 • OTHELLO- TRAGIC HERO

2. OTHELLO Historical context

3. Geography Othello takes place in two countries: Venice Cyprus The Republic of Venice existed from 727-1797. It is located in present-day Italy.

4. http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcitaly.htm

5. Geography (cont’d) 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.

6. Cyprus is located east of Italy, in the Mediterranean Sea. It is just south of Turkey. http://geography.about.com/library/cia/nccyprus.htm

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

8. Geography in the Play Othello 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.

9. Types of People in Othello Venetians Most are noblemen and women (Brabantio, Desdemona, Roderigo) Also, there are the nobles’ servants (Emilia) Some are soldiers (Othello, Cassio, Iago) Others are part of Venetian government (the Duke)

10. Types of People (cont’d) Moors Black nomadic people of the northern shores of Africa, originally the inhabitants of Mauretania Converted to Islam in the 8th century

11. Moors (cont’d) 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)

12. Moors (cont’d) Othello is a Moor Discriminated against because of his race (black) Othello has been accepted in some ways because he is a Christian and a military genius Yet his marriage to Desdemona reflects the prevailing view toward interracial marriage.

13. Plot The play's first act is set in Venice. Desdemona, the daughter of Brabantio, a Venetian senator, has secretly married Othello, a Moor in the service of the state. Accused before the duke and senators of having stolen Brabantio's daughter, Othello explains and justifies his conduct, and is asked by the Senate to lead the Venetian forces against the Turks who are about to attack Cyprus.

14. In the middle of a storm which disperses the Turkish fleet, Othello lands on Cyprus with Desdemona, Cassio, a young Florentine, who helped him court his wife and whom he has now promoted to be his lieutenant, and Iago, an older soldier, bitterly resentful of being passed over for promotion, who now plans his revenge, Iago uses Roderigo, “a guli'd Gentleman” in love with Desdemona, to fight with Cassio after he has got him drunk, so that Othello deprives him of his new rank.

15. He then persuades Cassio to ask Desdemona to plead in his favour with Othello, which she warmly does. At the same time he suggests to Othello that Cassio is, and has been, Desdemona's lover, finally arranging through his wife Emilia, who is Desdemona's waiting-woman, that Othello should see Cassio in possession of a handkerchief which he had given to his bride. Othello is taken in by Iago's promptings and in frenzied jealousy smothers Desdemona in her bed. Iago sets Roderigo to murder Cassio, but when Roderigo fails to do this Iago kills him and Emilia as well, after she has proved Desdemona's innocence to Othello. Emilia's evidence and letters found on Roderigo prove Iago's guilt; he is arrested, and Othello, having tried to stab him, kills himself.

16. Theme-human nature Othello offers a study of human nature, which is made up principally of two warring elements, love and hatred. Of the three characters in Othello, Desdamona and Iago are the antitheses of each other, with the former stands for love and life force that strives for order, community, growth and light and the latter for hatred and anti-life force that seeks anarchy, revenge, death and darkness. Othello is the combination of the two.

17. In the first part he manages a calm control of himself under law and order, so the love triumphs over hatred. In the latter part, however, when the social conditions in Cyprus are less secure, the Iago spirit starts to undermine the noble values of Othello. Gradually Othello’s noble quality is poisoned by Iago spirit, and yields to evil. The murder of Desdemona acts as the final destruction in Othello himself of all the ordering power of love, trust and bond between human beings. So it is the flaw, the sin that all flesh is heir to that destroys Othello.

18. Theme—humanism Othello can be regarded as a tragedy of humanism. Othello is a new man of the Renaissance. He is a great warrior, and too noble-minded to suspect those whom he loves. Though he is a black man, he has great moral beauty. He loves Desdemoda so dearly just because he finds he to be the embodiment of integrity, sincerity and loftiness of mind. These qualities , together with her youth and beauty, make her his ideal of a woman, and her love the greatest reward for his long and hard life. Desdemoda and Othello both belong to the future world. Their tragedy shows that noble-minded people may be led astray by evil forces in an evil society and commit horrible mistakes if they cannot distinguish truth from falsehood, and good from evil.

19. Theme—jealousy Jealousy is also often regarded as one main theme of Othello. Almost all the characters in the play are in some way jealous or are involved in jealousy. Othello, the essentially noble man, who is not “easily jealous”, has been infected by Iago’s jealousy and becomes a prey of jealousy. Evil conquers Othello with jealousy and destroys his nobleness. Subtle variations of torture reduce him to a beast of fury and madness. The love that united man and woman, youth and maturity, black and white in marriage is shattered. So this play is a close study of man’s nature.

20. Theme—racial prejudice Othello is also a tragedy of the coloured people in a society of racial prejudice. Though well-known as a soldier and in high position, Othello has been a man living in loneliness, because he is black. The citizens of Venice seem to be treating him as one of themselves, but to have him marry one of their daughter is quite another matter. Here we can find strong racial prejudice against the black. Iago, in carrying out his evil intrigue, sees this, and in his hint to Othello, he touches persistently on the unnaturalness of Othello’s marriage in the eyes of the white gentlemen. Here lies the social background of Iago’s success in ruining Othello’s happiness

21. What is Tragedy? Othello is a tragedy, which means that it looks at life’s dark underside. Tragedies frequently make reference to our mortality, to death, to decay, and to good and evil. Tragedy explores our dark impulses such as jealousy, murderous impulses, unhealthy competition, and uncontrolled ambition.

22. Heroes of Tragic Plays Heroes are often pushed to the furthest limits of human endurance. Heroes in Shakespeare are lofty figures such as princes, kings, and other noblemen who live life to the fullest—and fall. Despite their elevated status, Shakespeare’s heroes share traits with which we can identify. Shakespeare’s heroes often struggle with their conscience. Some critics have noted that tragic heroes have a tragic flaw, the one imperfection in an otherwise perfect nature that leads to the downfall.

23. What is Catharsis? This term means that we the reader/viewer of the tragedy are transformed by viewing the horrific suffering of the hero. Critics have noted that the hero often experiences a redemptive moment in which he realizes the reason or scope of the downfall, and there may be moment of self-acceptance or realization. We, like the hero, may experience a kind of relief or release after experiencing the shock of the tragedy.

24. OTHELLO is. . . A tragedy first produced 1604 Act I set in 16th century Venice, a sophisticated, cultured, somewhat decadent city-state The rest of the play is set in Cyprus, a Mediterranean island that is a Venetian colony One of Shakespeare’s most intense plays An archetypal story of the jealous husband A plot with suspicion, the destruction of reputation, racial tension, sensuality, and . . . murder. A play with one of Shakespeare’s darkest most loathsome figures, IAGO, a charming man without a conscience, a malignant and destructive plotter

25. Time Frame During the Ottoman-Venetian War 1570-1573 Act I: Venice, one Act II: Cyprus, a few weeks later, night Act III: Cyprus, the next morning Act IV & V: Cyprus, that night