Othello: Context (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)

Othello Context

Othello historical context

The Renaissance spanned approximately from the 14th to the 17th century and was a time of significant cultural, intellectual and social change in Europe.

• The Renaissance marked a revival of interest in the literature, art and philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome:

  • The classical revival influenced all aspects of culture, including theatre, where classical themes and ideas were incorporated into new works

  • This revival influenced Othello as it is a tragedy which explores a noble hero’s downfall due to a fatal flaw

• The war between the Turks and the Venetian state provides a symbolic backdrop to Othello's tragedy:

  • Cyprus was the furthest outpost of Christianity, and was isolated, vulnerable, and fought over by the Venetians and the Islamic Ottomans:

    • The island is therefore a psychologically appropriate setting for Othello: it is a battleground in which peace is constantly under threat

  • The use of a military setting for a play about marriage underlines the conflict Othello faces when trying to combine love and work

  • It is ironic that Othello, an experienced soldier, dies in a war zone for love

Othello political context

Othello was likely written in 1603-1604 during the transition from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I to King James I and this period is characterised by significant political changes. 

• The reign of Elizabeth I was marked by relative internal peace and stability:

  • Despite this, her reign faced challenges and ongoing conflicts with Catholic Spain, most notably the Spanish Armada in 1588 

  • The play’s depiction of Othello’s vulnerability to Iago’s manipulation may also reflect contemporary fears of the “other” and the perceived threat posed by those who were different in religion race or nationality 

• James I acceded to the throne in 1603 and he believed strongly in the divine right of kings:

  • This was a belief that kings received their authority from God, and so were only answerable to His divine rule

  • This often placed him in conflict with Parliament

• Both Elizabeth I and James I supported the beginnings of English colonial expansion:

  • The political changes of the period and the presence of foreign merchants in London, may have influenced the portrayal of Othello, a Moor, in the play

How this links to the play Othello

Othello social context

Gender

• Women had no legal authority, and were in fact considered to be the possessions of men according to the law at the time:

  • Fathers and husbands therefore often treated their daughters and wives as objects to be used as they saw fit

  • In this brutally patriarchal establishment, rape and adultery were considered crimes against a man’s reputation, akin to property damage or defamation:

    • Similarly, to marry without the permission of the woman’s father was considered to be theft of male property

    • This is very much the case that Brabantio’s makes when he attacks Othello’s character in Act 1 Scene 3: he claims that Desdemona has been “stolen from me, and corrupted”

• It was not until 1660 that women were permitted to act on the stage:

  • Before this date, all female roles in drama (including Desdemona and Emilia) were played by young boys

• Venice was known in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as a cultural melting-pot of power, romance, and wealth, but also sexual immorality, hedonism, and courtesans: 

  • Venice was also known for being relatively cosmopolitan, a place where members of different races commonly mingled and engaged in commerce:  

    • It is therefore an appropriate setting for the Othello and Desdemona love match

Race

• Othello was the first black protagonist to appear in early modern drama:

  • Usually in drama from this period, black men and Moors were portrayed negatively:

    • Shakespeare himself drew a direct connection between race and morality in Titus Andronicus (1593)

    • One of the principle villains of Titus is a Moor, Aaron, who fathers a child with a white woman, Tamora

    • The child is described as being “joyless, dismal, black … as loathsome as a toad”

    • In Shakespeare’s 1611 play, The Tempest, the character of Caliban is also presented as an animalistic sexually aggressive villain

    • Caliban loosely symbolises the kinds of native cultures who were occupied and suppressed by European colonial societies

  • Othello only behaves as the stereotype of the lustful, murderous black man when he is corrupted by Iago, a white Venetian:

    • While Shakespeare suggests that there are links between race and morality in Othello, Iago’s malevolent villainy makes clear that good and evil are not tied exclusively to skin colour

• Othello holds power and status as a military general in Venice, and is respected for his leadership by the Venetian Senate:

  • He is nevertheless  a racial ‘outsider’, despite his noble origins:

    • Although black people were a common sight in early modern Venice, Shakespeare’s English audience would have had little or no direct contact with black men and women

    • It therefore makes sense that Shakespeare established this black character as a perpetual outsider

How this links to the play Othello

Othello literary context

Othello is known as a Shakespearean tragedy. Knowing this, and that an audience would also have certain expectations when viewing a tragedy, can help to elevate your analysis of Shakespeare’s choices as a playwright.

The structure of a tragedy

Many of Shakespeare’s tragedies follow the same five-part structure:

Eduqas-specific tip

With regards to context, though, Eduqas examiners frequently point out that “while aspects of context will always be relevant to the questions set, there are no context marks (AO3) awarded in the Shakespeare questions.”

Be careful, then, to not waste valuable time in your exam by needlessly reciting historical knowledge. Instead, only use your knowledge and understanding of certain contextual influences to add depth to your analysis. This will help you to demonstrate an “perceptive understanding of the text” (AO1) by making “assured references to meanings and effects” (AO2).

Sources: 

Shakespeare, William (1975). Othello. Oxford: Clarendon Press