What is the context of Othello?
Shakespeare derived Othello’s plot from a short narrative in Giraldi Cinthio’s Gli Hecatommithi (1565), but set his play within the context of Venice’s struggle during the 1570s with the Ottoman Empire for control of Cyprus, the eastern Mediterranean island that overlooked the shipping lanes between Europe and trading …
Who was unfairly judged by Othello?
Othello not only lacks the prudence and temperance to see the fault of his judgment levied against innocent Desdemona, but perhaps more disturbingly, he lacks the magnanimity to pardon such an offense if it did occur truthfully (5.2.
What is historical criticism in Othello?
What is historical criticism? Marriages were based on wealth and value, NOT love. “In choosing a wife, four things are to be considered: beauty, nobility, habits, and wealth” (D’Elia, 2002) Iago and Emilia did not marry for love, as Desdemona and Othello did.
What is the historical setting of Othello?
Othello is set in Venice, presumably sometime in the latter half of the sixteenth-century. Venice was at war with the Ottoman empire between 1570 and 1573, so the play’s reference to the threat of an attack on Cyprus could reflect a setting sometime during this period.
How is justice shown in Othello?
Study focus: Justice Othello uses the language of justice and the law to justify killing Desdemona (‘it is the cause’, line 1) and demands that she ‘deny each article’ (line 54) of his accusations before he smothers her. When he realises the truth, Othello takes justice into his own hands and commits suicide.
Is Othello black or North African?
Is Othello black? Although Othello is a Moor, and although we often assume he is from Africa, he never names his birthplace in the play. In Shakespeare’s time, Moors could be from Africa, but they could also be from the Middle East, or even Spain.