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Othello Context (Tragedy (The tragic hero has to be played by someone with…
Othello Context
Tragedy
The tragic hero has to be played by someone with some kind of power (king, or prince) and they make a mistake or have misfortune
The tragic plot is that it must have a clear sense of plot and then a change in the heroes fortune from happiness to misery.
Anagnorisis is when the hero has a moment of realisation but can't do anything about it as it is too late.
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16th Century critics said it was no longer than 24 hours, in only one place and no subplots but continuous action.
Shakespeare plays around with the convention as whilst Othello is primarily known as a tragedy it could also be a comedy.
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Jacobean tragedy's revolve around an obsession with death, sexual passion and physical decay. Sin was always associated with sexuality.
Religion
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Many people believed that black people couldn't be christian as they were not aligned with god. Therefore the tragic end was inevitable.
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Jealousy and Chaos
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Chaos was the undoing of gods creation, a return to darkness and the break of the chain of being.
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Gender
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Most men assumed venetian women were promiscuous, which explains why female sexuality is a huge threat to males in the play.
Gender and race overlap a lot in the play and several characters believe that black men sexually contaminate white women, including Othello.
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Charivari
It was a folk custom in which a mock parade was staged through a community accompanied by a discordant mock serenade.
The crowd aimed to make as much noise as possible by beating on pots and pans or anything that came to hand these parades are often referred to as rough music.
Effigies of the "wrongdoers" were made they were frequently burned as the climax of the event or "ritually drowned"
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Courtly love
This is represented in Othello by Cassio, who is attractive. He uses poetic language and has a chivalrous manner.
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The courtly lover is a member of high society and concerned with the notions of honour and reputation.
Cuckoldry
This was a mans greatest fear - becoming a horned beast - this was a grave fear as it showed they couldn't control their wife and had married someone with an unnatural sexual appetite.
Young beautiful women would have captivated their husbands, but were also seen as a target of other men, as Roderigo confirms.
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Venice
Known for its beauty, culture, civilisation and pleasure.
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Machiavellianism
a psychological trait centered on interpersonal manipulation, unemotional coldness, and indifference to morality.
The trait is named after the political philosophy of Niccolo Machiavelli, as psychologists Richard Christie and Florence Geis used edited and truncated statements inspired by his works to study variations in human behaviours
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Renaissance man
The ideal man was well-balanced and in control of his emotions. Othello is portrayed as this at the start.
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