Context on Othello Flashcards
(11 cards)
What was the reputation of Venice like during the 16th century?
Venice had a reputation as a cosmopolitan and diverse city full of wealth and political stability.
It was home to people from a variety of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, including people who had immigrated.
Why was there Western European fascination with Venice?
It is geographically familiar, as it is situated in Europe, yet it was exotic as it had close ties with North Africa and the Middle East.
How would Shakespeare’s english audience have viewed Venice at the time?
They would have associated it with exotic excitement and dangerous otherworldliness.
It was also deemed as a place ‘on the edge of civilisation’ thus it was also feared.
Why may Shakespeare have set his play in Venice?
It is an ideal setting onto which English anxieties and preoccupations can be projected and explored.
Why did Shakespeare move the setting of the play to Cyprus?
It is even further removed from the english audience, geographically and symbolically.
It is thus an unknown place and is therefore associated with danger.
This is where the conflict between characters derives.
Why may Shakespeare have explored the racial tensions present in a Venetian society?
We can assume that the white Venetian’s treatment of Othello would have mirrored english people’s behaviour at the time.
What did the term ‘Moor’ refer to in Shakespearean England?
It had numerous definitions that could describe people from any region in Africa.
In some sense, this could show that pinning down Othello’s exact race is not important - the other characters are simply aware that he is ‘other’.
How were women viewed during the 16th century?
Women were viewed as subordinate to men.
Fathers were expected to choose their daughters husbands for them.
When women got married, everything they owned became their husbands possession.
What was the stereotype of Venetian women?
Venice was thought of as a place of sexual freedom and a hub of prostitution.
This is shown when the male characters are quick to assume that their wives are unfaithful.
When was Othello set?
During the 1500s.
During the Ottoman-Venetian war.
What was the Ottoman-Venetian war?
A series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice, primarily over control of territories.
