The Tragedy of Othello William Shakespeare

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The Tragedy of OthelloWilliam Shakespeare
Introduction Background Discussion Starters
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OthelloWilliam Shakespeare

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The Tragedy of OthelloWilliam Shakespeare
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Othello Introduction
Passion
Hypocrisy
Prejudice
Jealousy
Revenge
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Othello Introduction
Othello is a general, a military leader, in
Venice hundreds of years ago.
But he is an outsider because he is from another
countryand of another race.
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Othello Introduction
When Othello secretly marries the young,
beautiful and noble Desdemona,
her father, Brabantio, wants Othello to be
arrested.
But Desdemona loves Othello and doesnt care that
he is an outsider.
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Othello Introduction
At the same time, the men in the army under
Othello cant be trusted.
Cassio means well but is open to bad influences.
Iago pretends to be Othellos friend, but
secretly resents him for passing him over for
promotion.
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Othello Introduction
Iago is determined to get revenge.
He decides to attack Othello in his most
vulnerable spot
his love for Desdemona.
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Othello Introduction
Will Othello be able to see through Iagos
schemes?
Or will jealousy and revenge turn to murder?
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Othello Background
Othello is from North Africa, while Desdemona is
from Venice, in Italy.
Their marriage is a meeting of cultures and
races.
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Othello Background
Othello is sometimes referred to as the Moor.
Moors are people with mixed Berber and Arab
groups living in northwestern Africa.
Shakespeare included Moorish characters in other
plays The Merchant of Venice and Titus
Andronicus. He used them to represent outsiders.
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Othello Background
Racism is an important concept in Othello,
as is the idea of judging others on the basis of
their appearance rather than whats in their
hearts.
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Othello Background
The way a character speaks in Shakespeares plays
signals the way his or her mind is working. It
can also tell you what kind of person the
character is.
Othello often uses animal imagery.
Desdemona often speaks about her faith.
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Othello Discussion Starters

• Discuss (1)
• What groups are sometimes treated as outsiders
  in the United States today?
• Why are they seen by others as outsiders?
• How do others react to them?

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Othello Discussion Starters

• Discuss (2)
• Othello depicts many problems that arise from
  jealousy and greed.
• Do these emotions still cause problems today?
• If so, what problems have you seen them create?