Othello

  1. Starting Othello
  2. The Mediterranean World
  3. Around the Globe
  4. 'Hold him in thy hate'

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Starting Othello

LO: To consider what Tragedy means in Drama, and what we can infer

Write down four words you associate with the word Tragedy. What does it make you think of?

Is this πŸ”½ the right usage of the word? What does it tell you about the person using it?

“It is a tragedy that England has not won a World Cup since 1966.”

Etymology Exploration

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TRAGEDY

Meet Aristotle, the father of Drama

  • Lived in Ancient Greece, in the 4th Century BC (nearly 2000 years before Shakespeare)
  • Wrote widely on philosophy, science and literature
  • Invented theories for what good stories and drama should look like
  • Shakespeare would have studied his philosophy and plays at school

take notes!

Aristotle's Rules (from The Poetics)

A tragedy, then, should be:

  • an imitation of events that are serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude;
  • in the form of action, not of narrative;
  • able to create feelings of pity and fear in the audience.
  • an exploration of a character's shocking reversal of fortune

Using the information above, add to the TRAGEDY section of your table from last lesson.

PLENARY: Making predictions


If our play this term is called The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, what do we expect to see in it?

The Mediterranean World

LO: To consider the geopolitical context of Shakespeare's time

Who are the superpowers of today's world?

Does the world feel like it's changing?

The Caliph πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡· vs The Doge 🦁

1570: Siege of Cyprus

1571: Battle of Lepanto

1576: Cyprus falls to the Ottomans

Around the Globe

LO: to consider the local context of Shakespeare's play

Can you think of a form of entertainment or art that is truly for 'everyone'? Is there any?

London 1603

  • City had benefited from decades of Elizabethan peace
  • One of the major trading hubs of Western Europe
  • Thousands of workshops, trading houses and banks
  • Population of roughly 100,000, of which 4,000 were foreign-born
  • Also a hub for the destitute and unemployed

'Hold him in thy hate'

LO: To look at the opening scene of the play and consider how Shakespeare introduces the tragic hero

Should fiction always be from the protagonist's perspective? How does that change it?

Can you think of any fiction where the protagonist changes midway through?

The Text πŸ“–

Ambition and Hierarchy

He, in good time, must his lieutenant be,
And I, God bless the mark, his Moorship’s ancient.

Iago, 1:1