what does venice represent in othello

The blood and, William Shakespeares Hamlet is a play full of sorrow and excitement, its fullof gore and incest. Throughout this essay I will be mentioning frequently to the text of the verse form William Shakespeares Sonnet 116 feats conventional sonneteering ( Kerrigan. [35], Towards the end of the play, Desdemona's goodness increasingly becomes represented by long-suffering martyrdom, perceived as a longstanding sign of acceptable femininity. He hates the Moor: often with reference to Othello's race. [197], The Willow Song, sung by Desdemona in Act 4 Scene 3,[198] is not an original creation of Shakespeare's, but was already a well-known ballad. Moreover, Othellos fears that his bride could rapidly slide into sexual promiscuity seem linked to a belief that the line between virtuous wives and common courtesans is dangerously thin. Lester and Kinnear shared Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor[129] and Kinnear won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor. Venice was seen as a place of romance, with cultural values and yet also, as the birthplace of Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 1527), it was associated with poisonings and vice.Having established the importance of Othellos public role in Venice in Act 1, the focus then narrows to concentrate on the private man. Othello is a Moorish military commander who was serving as a general of the Venetian army in defence of Cyprus against invasion by Ottoman Turks. How does Roderigo die? Othello Setting Flashcards | Quizlet -major port city, influence of and opportunity for foreigners -cosmopolitan trading capital 'multicultural' -hub of prostitution, established courtesan profession women stereotyped as promiscuous Iago also induces Othello to eavesdrop on a conversation between himself and Cassio that is in fact about Cassios mistress, Bianca, but which Othello is led to believe concerns Cassios infatuation with Desdemona. ..does have frightening consequences for Venice, a city precariously balanced on the frontiers of Christian civilisation. The importance of Venice lies in it symbol of splendor and magnificence which provides the consequences and issues of the play with a wider meaning when the tragedy of Othello and Desdemona effects mighty Venice also, through the loss of its great general fallen victim to Iago, the Machiavellian insider. Graduateway.com is owned and operated by Magma Europa S. z O.O. (2017, Oct 30). The Incompatibility of Military Heroism & Love Before and above all else, Othello is a soldier. [216] The narrative voice of Caryl Phillips 1997 novel The Nature of Blood harangues Othello as a sexual and political sell-out.[217]. The similarity of the film's ending to the Columbine massacre, which happened while the film was being edited, delayed its release for over two years, until August 2001. Gurr, Andrew and Ichikawa, Mariko "Oxford Shakespeare Topics: Staging in Shakespeare's Theatres" Oxford University Press, 2000, p.55. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. [81] These two theatres had very different features - the former a large outdoor theatre accommodating an audience of 3,000; the latter a private indoor theatre that sat around 700, paying higher prices - and the style of playing would have adapted to these different conditions. Free trial is available to new customers only. [185], Part of the explosion of the Romantic movement in France was a fashion for re-writing English plays as melodrama, including Alfred de Vigny's 1829 Othello adaptation Le More de Venise. Taylor, Gary "Shakespeare Plays on Renaissance Stages" in Wells, Stanley and Stanton, Sarah (eds.) The city was also famed for its Cortesans. The senate is satisfied once Desdemona confirms that she loves Othello, but Brabantio leaves, saying that Desdemona will betray Othello: "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see. In Othello, three such worlds are built. Othello Character Analysis in Othello | SparkNotes 2948 mean purpose, courage, and valorthis night show 2949 it . "A Feminist Companion to Shakespeare" Blackwell Publishers Limited, 2001, pp.80-102 at pp.94 & 95. to help you write a unique paper. He is also a peaceful man. Act 4, scene 1. Entire Play In Venice, at the start of Othello, the soldier Iago announces his hatred for his commander, Othello, a Moor. A.C. Bradley calls Othello the "most romantic of all of Shakespeare's heroes" (by "hero" Bradley means protagonist) and "the greatest poet of them all". The Monster in the Moor - University of South Carolina Othello (character) - Wikipedia Lodovico appoints Cassio as Othello's successor and exhorts him to punish Iago justly. Also known as: Othello, the Moor of Venice, Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in the Humanities and Chair of Theatre and Performance Studies, University of Chicago. Play of about 1603 by William Shakespeare, This article is about the Shakespeare tragedy. Setting in Othello Flashcards | Quizlet When Desdemona hears the news that she will be leaving Cyprus, she expresses her happiness, whereupon Othello strikes her. Supplemental understanding of the topic including revealing main issues described in the particular theme; Pharapreising and interpretation due to major educational standards released by a particular educational institution as well as tailored to your educational institution if different; Correct writing styles (it is advised to use correct citations). Want 100 or more? In taking Othello and Desdemona to Cyprus, Shakespeare removes them from the social structure and security of the environment in which their love developed. "Othello" The Arden Shakespeare, Third Series Revised Edition, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., 2016, p.28. "[192] Charles Marowitz in his An Othello reworked the play in the context of the Black Power movement. Joseph Knight's 1875 "Theatrical Notes" cited in Welles, 2000, p.113. "[75] or if Roderigo had chosen to denounce Iago. The text published in the First Folio of 1623 seems to have been based on a version revised by Shakespeare himself that sticks close to the original almost line by line but introduces numerous . "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film" Cambridge University Press, 2000 pp.141-260 at p.257. "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Stage", Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp. Does Othello kill Desdemona? Boycotting, persuasion and mild intimidation succeeded against many officers. Othello is set in Venice, presumably sometime in the latter half of the sixteenth-century. "[80], Othello was written for and performed by the King's Men, the playing company to which Shakespeare belonged, and the 1622 Quarto notes on its title page that the play was "Diuerse times acted at the Globe, and at Black-Friers, by his Maiesties seruants". The Tempest is a work of fantasy and an old-fashioned romance. Howard, Jean E. "Feminist Criticism" in Wells, Stanley and Orlin, Lena Cowen "Shakespeare: An Oxford Guide", Oxford University Press, 2003, pp.411-430 at p.427, in turn citing Lisa Jardine's essay "She sat like Patience on a Monument / Smiling at grief". Cinthio drew a moral (which he placed in the mouth of Desdemona) that it is unwise for European women to marry the temperamental men of other nations. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film" Cambridge University Press, 2000 pp.261-273 at p.269, in turn quoting Olivier's "On Acting". [32], The word "whore" appears 14 times in Othello, more often than in any other work by Shakespeare, often used (in Kay Stanton's words) as a "male-initiated inscription onto the female as scapegoat. In Shakespeare's day, the Turks were demonised in a frenzy of fear and hatred that indicated how threatened the Western world felt by them. 1. Venice is located in the Italian province of Veneto. Just talk to our smart assistant Amy and she'll connect you with the best [57], Some critics have suggested other motives: psychologist Ernest Jones's suggestion that Iago may be motivated by a repressed homosexual desire for Othello has been influential in subsequent performances of the role. Othello, in full Othello, the Moor of Venice, tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written in 160304 and published in 1622 in a quarto edition from a transcript of an authorial manuscript. [122], White actors continued to dominate the role until the 1980s. Full Play Full Play Summary Genre Style Metaphors & Similes Literary Devices Themes Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. 3 Prominent Themes Found in William Shakespeare's 'Othello' - ThoughtCo match. "The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Popular Culture", Cambridge University Press, 2007, pp. By Michael Flachmann. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Watson, Robert N. "Tragedy" in Braunmuller, A. R. and Hattaway, Michael (eds.) [34] In the world of the play, whorishness is understood as the true and essential nature of women - yet this is constantly shown to be a projection of male imaginations, completely unrelated to the women's perceptions of themselves or to their behavior. [168], Oliver Parker's 1995 Othello was trailed as an "erotic thriller", including a ritualized love scene between Othello and Desdemona, and, most memorably, Othello's jealous fantasies of encounters between Desdemona and Cassio. Lanier, Douglas "Shakespeare on the Record" in Hodgdon, Barbara and Worthen, W. B. Registration number: 0000866609. [17], There is no consensus over Othello's ethnic origin. [119], When Laurence Olivier performed Othello at the National in 1964,[120] his sense of "being black", in his words, required him "to be beautiful" with a voice "dark violet - velvet stuff" and a walk "like a soft black leopard". Scene 1. Young, rich, and foolish, Roderigo is convinced that if he gives Iago all of his money, Iago will help him win Desdemona's hand. Gillies, 2008, pp. [169][170] Swiss actress Irne Jacob as Desdemona struggled with the verse, as did Laurence Fishburne, more experienced in expletive-ridden thriller roles, as Othello. Othello - Act 1, scene 1 | Folger Shakespeare Library [187], In the 19th-Century United States, Othello was often used in parody, sometimes allied with minstrel shows: with the contrast between Shakespearean verse and African-American dialect a source of racist humour. He is a black moor who has gone through fierce encounters and life threating adventures, a formers slave who had his freedom. Iago advises Cassio to seek Desdemona's help in getting reinstated. "The Cambridge Companion to English Renaissance Drama" Second Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp.292-343 at p.329. ", Desmet, Chisty "Character Criticism" in Wells, Stanley and Orlin, Lena Cowen "Shakespeare: An Oxford Guide", Oxford University Press, 2003, pp.351-372 at p.357, citing. The UK's National Film and Television Archive holds over 25 20th-Century films containing performances, adaptations or extracts from Othello including Anson Dyer's 1920 animated Othello, 1921's Carnival and its 1932 remake, the 1922 German film The Moor, the 1936 Men Are Not Gods, 1941's East of Piccadilly, George Cukor's 1947 A Double Life, Orson Welles in Return to Glennascaul and Welles' own Othello, Sergei Yutkevich's Russian language Othello discussed below, two productions for BBC Television (including Jonathan Miller's for the BBC Television Shakespeare series, discussed below), Basil Dearden's All Night Long, Janet Suzman's 1988 South African TV Othello, a film of Trevor Nunn's RSC production with Willard White and Ian McKellen in the central roles, and True Identity - a crime caper in which Lenny Henry's character Miles lands the role of understudy to James Earl Jones (playing himself) in a production of Othello. [63] Yet this short timeframe does not allow any time for the supposed affair between Desdemona and Cassio to have happened. News has arrived in Venice that the Turks are going to attack Cyprus, and Othello is therefore summoned to advise the senators. Synopsis: Desdemona's interview with Cassio is cut short by the arrival of Othello. By Theme Appearance vs. The play is set in motion when Othello, a heroic black general in the service of Venice, appoints Cassio and not Iago as his chief lieutenant. With delicate understatement he notes: I have done the state some service and they know it, and concludes his valediction with the tale of the Turk in Aleppo; Othello, the private man, having brought shame on the state, Othello, the dutiful soldier, must punish him.As much as he understands the political and military realities of Venice, Othello does not have an insiders knowledge of its social etiquette, though he may have heard something of the license permitted in this fashionable city. Venice was at war with the Ottoman empire between 1570 and 1573, so the play's reference to the threat of an attack on Cyprus could reflect a setting sometime during this period. I assure you, when I promise to do something out of friendship, I deliver. [12] An English translation by John Pory appeared in 1600 under the title A Geographical Historie of Africa, Written in Arabicke and Italian by Iohn Leo a More in which form Shakespeare may have seen it and reworked hints[further explanation needed] in creating the character of Othello. Its opening track (itself titled Such Sweet Thunder, a quotation from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream)[208] came to stand for Othello telling his tales of travel and adventure to Desdemona, as reported in the play's first act. Does Othello die? [121] (The filmed version of this production is discussed under "Screen" below. "[112], In 1930 Stanislavski directed a production of Othello for the Moscow Art Theatre, which was influential in the development of his system. The stage production is discussed in the section "20th Century" above. Mason, Pamela "Orson Welles and Filmed Shakespeare" in Jackson, Russell (ed.) Discount, Discount Code However, he can never become wholly Venetian. [213], In addition to his theatrical performances noted above, the play was also central to Konstantin Stanislavski's writings, and to the development of his "system". [106] His conception of the role was of a barbarian with savage and passionate instincts concealed by a thick veneer of civilisation. "[95], The first professional performances of the play in North America are likely to have been those of the Hallam Company. [8], While supplying the source of the plot, the book offered nothing of the sense of place of Venice or Cyprus. 716 Northfield Drive Sacramento, Ca, Articles W