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Shakespeare and Othello. Author & Theater Information. William Shakespeare. 1563-1616 Born in Stratford-on-Avon Father – glovemaker & wool merchant Mother – daughter of a wealthy local landowner Married Anne Hathaway in 1582 12 years older than him Four months pregnant at the wedding. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Shakespeare and
Othello
Author & Theater
Information
William Shakespeare• 1563-1616
• Born in Stratford-on-Avon • Father – glovemaker &
wool merchant• Mother – daughter of a
wealthy local landowner
• Married Anne Hathaway in 1582• 12 years older than him• Four months pregnant
at the wedding
Professional Life• He wrote 37 plays
and 154 sonnets.
• Wrote three kinds of plays:• Comedies• Tragedies• Histories
• Both wrote for and acted with Lord Chamberlain’s Men
Professional Life• In 1599, he and the
Lord Chamberlain’s Men built the Globe Theater.
• Theater burned down in 1613 and was rebuilt in 1614.
• Wrote plays both for Queen Elizabeth I and for King James.
Elizabethan England• Queen Elizabeth I : 1533-
1603
• Daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
• Became Queen in 1559.
• Never married and was nicknamed “The Virgin Queen”.
• English Renaissance in music, literature, and military strength happened under her.
Elizabethan Theater• Protestant Church and
city officials banned theaters because of :• fighting• crime• drinking• crude subject matter• threat of Bubonic
Plague
• The 1596 plague caused London to ban all public plays and theaters within city limits.
• Theaters also used for bear-baiting and gambling.
• All actors were men because theaters were too scandalous for women.
• Young boys whose voices had not changed played women’s roles.
Elizabethan Theater• Little to no scenery was
used.
• Settings were understood because of references in dialogue.
• Lots of props were used.
• Plays were fast-paced and colorful.
• Much more interaction with audience than today.
Attending a Theater Performance
• Plays were produced for the general public.
• Theaters were roofless, so all performances were open air.
• No artificial lighting.
• Courtyard surrounded by three levels of galleries.
• Wealthy patrons sat in benches with a roof over their heads.
• Groundlings: poor people who stood and watched from “the pit” (the courtyard).
• Groundlings went for the entertainment of alcohol, fights, prostitution, and lewd subject matter.
• They often threw food at the actors.
• All but the wealthy were uneducated/illiterate.
Attending a Theater Performance
• Pricing of admission based on comfort:• 1 penny (week’s
wages for apprentice) pit
• 5 pence cushioned gallery seat
• Nobility generally had private performances in their own homes.
Shakespeare and English
• Over 12,000 words entered English 1560-1650
• Shakespeare’s plays show the first recorded use of 2,035 new English words
• Macbeth, Hamlet, and King Lear have one new word every 2.5 lines.
• Phrases coined by Shakespeare:• A laughing stock• A sorry sight• As dead as a doornail• Eaten out of house
and home• In a pickle• In the twinkling of an
eye• Mum’s the word• Neither here nor there• There’s method in my
madness
Historical Background
Setting• Act I : Venice
• A wealthy city-state that was important in trade
• Known for luxury and culture• Famous for its judicial system
• Act II-V: Cyprus• Island near Turkey and Syria• Annexed by Venice in 1489 and
conquered by the Turks in 1571
The Moors• Equivalent to “African”
with expectation that the person would be black.
• In 711 Moors, who were Muslim, conquered Spain and ruled until 1492, when Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand took over and brought it to Christianity.
• Moors were forced to leave Spain or become Christian.
Military Terms• Ancient
(pronounced “en-sin”)• Military rank• Standard-Bearer• Iago is third in
command behind Othello and Cassio.
• Lieutenant• Means “place
holder”• Cassio is second in
command to Othello.
• The Lieutenant holds the General’s place in his absence.
OthelloThe Play
Themes of Othello• Destructive nature
of jealousy
• Importance of honor and reputation
• Being an outsider
• Appearance vs. Reality
• Loyalty vs. Treachery
Motifs of Othello• Motif: Major topic
related to the theme
• Animals
• Jealousy
• Sight and Darkness
• The Handkerchief
• Magic
• Evil and the Devil
Terminology
Static & Dynamic Characters
Dynamic Character
• The character changes from beginning to end and has many personality traits, like a real person
• Othello is a good example.
Static Character• The character
remains the same throughout the story. He does not change his mind, opinion, or character.
• Iago is a good example.
Foil• FOIL: Character
who highlights or emphasizes certain traits of the main character by contrasting them.
• Examples:• Emilia is the foil to
Desdemona• Cassio is the foil to
Iago
Irony: Three Types1. Dramatic Irony: A contradiction
between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true.
2. Situational Irony: An event that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, readers, or audience.
3. Verbal Irony: Words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant.
Conflict Types1. Internal
a. man vs. himself (Othello vs. Himself)• Doesn’t want to distrust Desdemona• Insecure about qualities to enable Desdemona to love
him.
2. Externala. man vs. society (Othello vs. Venice)b. man vs. naturec. man vs. man (Iago vs. Othello) (Iago vs. Cassio)
• Iago hates Othello and plots to bring about his downfall.• Iago is jealous of Cassio, and works to ruin his reputation,
as well as separate him from Othellos’ friendship.
Tragedy• Drama in which the main character
suffers a disaster after a serious struggle.
• Faces downfall in a heroic way.
Soliloquy• Long speech
• Character’s inner (truthful) thoughts are spoken aloud
• No other characters present
Aside• Character’s inner
thoughts spoken aloud
• Other characters are present
• Other characters cannot hear the spoken thoughts
Monologue• One person
speaking on stage.
The Five-Part Dramatic Structure
Act IIRising Action,
Or Complications
Act I Exposition, or Introduction
Act IIICrisis, or Turning
Point
Act IVFalling Action
Act VResolution, orDenouement
Ways to Understand Shakespearean
Language• Watch out for inverse word order!• Read in sentences don’t break at the end of
lines.• Read footnotes!• Worry about the overall sense of the words,
not every word individually.• Watch out for Shakespearean contractions.• READ OUT LOUD AND PARAPHRASE!
Shakespearean Insult Generator
http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/