Context in Othello

Historical context

The war between the Turks and the Venetian state provides a symbolic backdrop to Othello's tragedy. Cyprus is isolated and vulnerable, like Othello.

Literary context

Shakespeare uses features of traditional Greek tragedy (Othello suffers from the fatal flaw of pride) and revenge tragedy (Iago is a scheming machiavel).

Philosophical context

Most Elizabethans believed in the devil and accepted evil was hard to detect, thus making Iago's deceptions both plausible and terrifying. The need for Desdemona to confess her "sin" before she dies reflects the Christian beliefs about a "good death" and how to prepare for eternal life and reconciliation with God.

Cultural context

Elizabethans were generally suspicious of Italians, viewing them as immoral intriguers and some saw black men as lustful predators. Shakespeare makes use of and subverts these stereotypes.

Social context

Women in the Renaissance had few legal rights, and their life choices were commonly dictated by their fathers and husbands. However, Shakespeare creates strong female characters in Emilia and Desdemona, who challenge the social order even if they cannot overthrow it.

Shakespeare's great tragic period

Othello was written during Shakespeare's great tragic period, as well as the composition of Hamlet (1600) and Macbeth (1606).

The war

Othello is set against the backdrop of the wars between Venice and Turkey that raged in the latter part of the sixteen century.

Italianate

For the seventeenth century theatre-goer, the Italianate setting of Othello would have made this play intriguing. This country was frequently used by Elizabethans who wished to explore themes related to appearance and reality, corruption and sexual decadence.

Ham

Christian traditions of the Renaissance suggested that Africans were descendants of Noah's son, Ham, who was cursed by his father. Thus, it held that they were an accursed race.

Class

Venice had a more rigid class structure than England at the time Othello was written. We see evidence of Iago's class envy early in the play when he complains about how promotion goes by "preferment". As a man who had risen in society himself, Shakespeare would have understood Iago's resentment.

Melting pot

In 1600, Venice was a major melting pot of cultures as it was a major trading post which attracted foreigners of many different races. Therefore, it would not be unusual for Venice to hire a mercenary general like Othello.

Aphrodite

Ironically, the marriage of Othello and Desdemona is destroyed in Cyprus, the birthplace of the goddess of love, Aphrodite.

Cyprus

As well as Cyprus being associated with love, Shakespeare's audience would have also linked it to danger and isolation, as there were continuous wars between Christians and Muslims during the Renaissance.

Machiavelli

Today, Machiavelli is respected as a political theorist, but Shakespeare and his contemporaries believed that his ideas were immoral. They therefore created Machiavels who were devious and unscrupulous.

Cuckold

A cuckold is a man who has been betrayed by his wife. When Othello thinks Desdemona has been unfaithful, he complains of "a pain upon [his] forehead" - an allusion to the mating habits of stags, who forfeit their mates when they are defeated by another male.

Appearance

During the Renaissance, people believed you could tell whether someone was good or evil from their appearance. Physical defects could show you were a witch. Because he looks honest, Iago is able to conceal his villainy.

Handkerchiefs

Handkerchiefs were important signifiers of status and wealth in Renaissance Europe. Newman relates the story of a Venetian who was fined and imprisoned after taking a lady's handkerchief, saying it was considered 'proof of adultery'. This may be why Othello places so much emphasis on the one he gives to Desdemona.

Aristotle

According to Aristotle, the tragic hero should not be entirely good or evil. He should possess a fatal flaw which will incite pity and fear in the audience.

Bianca

Shakespeare's use of the name 'Bianca', meaning 'white', and thus signifying purity and decency, appears ironic, given her role as a courtesan. However, Bianca is not the typical corrupt courtesan of Renaissance drama; her love for Cassio is genuine and honest, so in fact her name is well matched to her role.

Abuse

The word wh*re was the most common term of abuse used in seventeenth century England. It had multiple meanings - a professional courtesan or a woman of bad character. Othello used this word to publicly shame his wife, but he degrades himself too: a wife's good reputation was an integral part of a man's honour.

Wedding ring

In Renaissance society, the wedding ring was a symbol not just of marriage, but of the wife's chastity, reminding us of the double standards of Shakespeare's time, when codes of sexual conduct for men and women were very different.

Misery

The name Desdemona is a Greek baby name, meaning 'misery'.

Suicide

Although suicide is a sin in Christianity, the Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that it was patriotic or noble because it was a way of avoiding disgrace and preserving one's honour.