'Othello' context

Elizabeth I’s mother ____ ______ was accused of bewitching the king _____ ____

Anne Boleyn
Henry VIII

Who was James I’s (James VI of Scotland) mother?

Mary Queen of Scots

Why was Mary Queen of Scots executed?

for her implication in the Babington Plot to assassinate Elizabeth & place Mary on the English throne

When was Mary Queen of Scots executed?

1587

Which law, passed by Elizabeth I, reflected the fear of evil spirits and curses?

‘An Act Against Conjurations, Enchantments & Witchcrafts’ 1602

What is the earliest surviving work of dramatic theory?

Aristotle’s ‘Poetics’

How did Aristotle describe tragedy?

“by means of pity and fear affecting its purgation of these emotions”

What were Aristotle’s main three features forming a tragic drama?

• hamartia

• catharsis ~ purgation of the audience’s emotions

• anagnorisis

What were Aristotle’s further features of tragedy?

• hubris ~ hamartia relating specifically to an over-inflated sense of self or pride

• peripeteia ~ turning-point in the narrative after which the good fortunes of tragic heroes begin to unravel

• pathos ~ appeal to audience’s sympathies through suffering

What does Aristotle state are the 3 dominant qualities of a tragic hero?

• of high estate

• fall from position into unhappiness

• downfall brought about by hamartia

How many distinct phases (not acts) did Aristotle argue a tragedy should have?

3

What did Aristotle argue is the “soul” of a tragedy?

plot

What did Aristotle argue that an effective plot must have?

• distinct, determinate structure

• universal significance

• unity of theme and purpose

Who popularised what we now know as the ‘revenge tragedy’ (which resolves around character/s conspiring to avenge a wrong inflicted upon them at the beginning of the plot/ before the plot’s commencement)?

ancient Roman Seneca

When did ‘revenge tragedies’ begin to develop?

late-Elizabethan period

How was domestic tragedy significant in the renaissance?

increasing popularity of theatre among working classes

When does anagnorisis take place in classical tragic tradition?

Act 5

What was a scold’s bridle?

a torture device used on rebellious/loose-tongued women to physically prevent them from speaking; may have to wear in public with intent to humiliate

In ____, Elizabeth I expressed discontent for the numbers of what in London?

1601, “Ne*a*s and blackamoors”

Black men’s libidinousness was exemplified in the ______ __ _______ of ____, which noted of one tribe that “…”

Fardle of Facions

1555

“they fall upon their women, even as they come to hand without any choice”

The moral laxity of King James’ court perturbed commentators, one of whom wrote of the “…”

“holy state of matrimony perfidiously broken”

Who argued that reliance on testimony was increasing during Shakespeare’s period because of the growing mobility and complexity of society, and the prominence of witchcraft?

Barbara Shapiro

In late-16th century, Britain began to build its empire, as colonialism embodied the concept of white masculine hegemonic authority and its subsequent exchange of women. ___________ at this time only strengthened the image of masculinity as white, heterosexual and even violent.

Imperialism

How did the Church explicitly encourage women to conform?

• conduct books and sermons

• in ‘A Sermon of Whoredom and Uncleaness’ against adultery in 1547, the preacher tells women if they commit “fornication”, “adultery” or any “unclean” act, not only would they be disobeying God, but they would “abuse the gentleness and humanity” of their husbands

What were courtesans known to be in the renaissance period?

• educated

• skilled at various trades (eg. embroidery; Cassio asks Bianca to “take out the work”)

• had some independence + freedom

What do Emilia and Desdemonas’ bodies, lying side by side, recall?

images of male friends who chose to spend eternity buried together, cementing a bond more sacred than blood/marriage (Greek ideals of male friendship)

Which Shakespeare play centres around a woman who is (comedically) the intellectual equal of her love interest?

‘Much Ado About Nothing’ (1598)

Often, literature from Shakespeare’s period featuring transgressive women did so to underscore what?

the importance of controlling them

There were widespread fears of reproduction between people of different ethnic groups, seen as contaminating the white bloodline, also know as what?

miscegenation

What was the geographical importance of Cyprus in terms of religion?

• fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1571

• became frontier between Christendom + the Muslim world

• remained a Christian centre + maintained some religious continuity, but political + cultural landscape rapidly changed under Ottoman rule (seen by many Europeans as a time of decline + oppression)

• liminal space on the edge of the Christian world

During which of the Cyprus conflicts is ‘Othello’ most likely to be set?

• 1year after Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, during the Battle of Lepanto

• brought together the majority of galley ships that existed in Mediterranean region

• The Holy League won decisively, destroying most of the Ottoman fleet & ending their 3-decade naval dominance

• the victory helped restore Christian control of the region ~ in leading against the Muslim fleet, former Muslim Othello cements his allegiance to Christian Europe

How did Shakespeare adapt the plot of a particular revenge tragedy?

• one of the earliest revenge tragedies = Kyd’s ‘The Spanish Tragedy’

• follows character who attempts to exact revenge on the murderers of his son by exposing them with a play-within-a-play

• Hamlet uses play-within-a-play to attempt to confirm Claudius’ guilt for his father’s murder

What was the military importance of Venice?

• oligarchy (ruled by small no. of people)

• few statues of Venetian-born military leaders

• greatest statue of military leader = Colleoni, from a dif. city in Italy

• Luccicos = Greek name

• Cassio = from Florence

• Iago = Spanish name

When was a Moroccan Embassy resident in London?

1601