English Literature

James R. Aubrey

Blacks and monsters are related

Dollimore

Each romanticises the difference of the other as a way of escaping the limitations of their own lives - Desdemona's jealousy of masculinity

Marxist idea on the idea that 'hard work pays off'

Myth of Meritocracy

Bonnie Greer (jealousy)

It is only Othello's jealousy, not Iago's hatred, that is the real tragedy

Loomba

Othello is a victim of racial beliefs precisely because he becomes an agent of misogynistic ones

John Quincy Adams

believed Desdemona deserved her fate as 'black and white blood cannot be intermingled'

JW (1971) (race)

racial difference from the other characters is not that it makes him terrifying or disgusting - it manifestly doesn't, except to people with a grudge against him already - but that it is the outward symbol of his isolation

Iago's success isn't due to his "diabolical intellect" but due to Othello's weakness and hubris

FR Leavis

to put the tragedy down to one single character flaw is far too simplistic

Isabel Hyde

Key Theorist: Garber

The play offers a glimpse of what happens when extremes of reason that deny passion meet extremes of passion that deny logic.
Othello tries to be superhuman to prove his worth, leading to uncontrollable passion. Iago is a figure of both hatred and desire. Desdemona is articulate and politically active to her own cost

Stephen Greenblatt - Renaissance Self Fashioning (1980)

Othello’s identity is performance-based, losing his origins. Iago manipulates this. Sexual anxiety and cultural pressure drive the tragedy.

How did the English gain exposure to Venetian society?

Through travelogs like Thomas Coryat’s ‘Crudities’ (1611) and Gasparo Contarini’s ‘The Commonwealth and Government of Venice’ (1599)

Why did the English like Venetian society and how does this relate to Othello?

They admired its sophistication, but Othello reveals its moral decay: “There’s many a beast then in a populous city, / And many a civil monster”

What is the importance of the action taking place in Cyprus?

Cyprus symbolizes instability, mirroring Othello’s personal turmoil. Venice and Othello both suppress their darker natures, leading to downfall.
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