ipl-logo

Historicism In Othello

1039 Words5 Pages

The article attempts to read Shakespeare in a New-Historicist perspective. We find Shakespeare’s Othello as a literary deviation of history. Consequently, the text is decentered on a contesting principle. By contest, we mean a reference to Shakespeare’s New-Historicist perception of history. Shakespeare contests and doubts the historical Othello who in fact led the readers into finding resemblances with King James I. In the process, even the Roman Emperor Marcus Salvius Otho Caesar Augustus who existed before Christ,comes into consideration. The paper also negotiates Ferdinand de Saussure’s precept of signifier/signified as stable. Our understanding of Shakespeare’s Othello is that the signifier/signification of history is …show more content…

A scrutiny of the sources, from which Shakespeare drew the character Othello gives a better understanding of the character. A New Historical reading untangles all the tangles.The story "A Moorish Captain" (1565)written by Cinthio. It tells the tale of Desdemona and a Moorish Captain deceived by his wicked Ensign. This clearly provides an assumption of Shakespearemight have taken the framework for his tragedy of Othelloand his Ensign, Iago. In Cinthio’s story, the virtuous and beautiful Desdemona is the only character to be given a name. Against the advice of her relatives, she marries the gallant Moor, not through lust but for love of his velour.Liviu Cuțitaru mentions this …show more content…

When James claims the throne of England, he promotes Shakespeare and his fellow actors, the most popular acting company at the time. They become the King’s Men - the official court players for the king.It is important to know that the play’s first recorded performance was performed in the Palace of Whitehall, in the Banqueting House, for the king himself (Vaughan 21).This was twenty months after James became king.As Ralph Berry puts it, “Within a few weeks of ascending to the throne, James changed the name of Shakespeare’s company from the Lord Chamberlain’s Men to the King’s Men. That was unprecedented royal favour: Shakespeare had become house dramatist to the premier company in the land”

Show More
Related

  • A Close Reading In Shakespeare's Othello: A Close Reading

    1359 Words  | 6 Pages

    Othello: A Close Reading This is an analysis of the lines 260-279 of the third scene of the third act of Shakespeare’s Othello. In an attempt to fulfill the incessant need for comfortable dichotomies, societies tend to be divided into two groups: the ‘in-crowd’ and the ‘others’. These strict dualities, constructed upon the inherent need for adversaries, are often as arbitrary as they are false and based on nothing but fear.

    Read More

  • Othello Passage Analysis

    923 Words  | 4 Pages

    The following passage is significant to the play ‘Othello’ in retrospect to the plot progression, as it reiterates themes and introduces important facets to the plot development. Through Iago’s cunning manipulation and Shakespeare’s crafting of language, this passage is constructed as a pivotal point of the play, marking the transition of Othello’s personality and revealing his deepest insecurities that eventually lead to his downfall and tragic ending. Iago wields a lot of power over all the characters throughout the play, but in this passage in particular he is presented at his most powerful. The passage is riddled with subtle suggestions and insinuations by Iago to raise Othello’s suspicions of his wife’s fidelity, opening with the admonition to “beware, my lord, of jealousy!

    Read More

  • Julius Caesar And Macbeth Comparison

    1200 Words  | 5 Pages

    One is familiar with Shakespeare’s tragedies such as “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet”, “The Tragedy of Hamlet” and so forth. Shakespeare’s tragedies have been known for centuries as a reflection of the societies in different eras which appealed to many until today. They express the darkness that lies within the human’s soul and mind. “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” and “The Tragedy of Macbeth” are both remarkable works of Shakespeare’s that although they are of different plots, they both share indistinguishable characteristics and themes such as a tragic hero, tragic flaw and hero’s downfall. It had been noted that all Shakespearean tragedies reflect a flaw in the main character or a conflict with an overpowering force that can be observed in the characteristics of Julius Caesar’s, Brutus’s, and Macbeth’s.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Sacrifice In Othello

    565 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s “Othello” was a great example to showcase sacrifices made by characters to accomplish revenge or obtain power. Shakespeare told the story of Othello, a tragic hero, who was manipulated by Iago, which motivated him to kill his own wife. From this story, Shakespeare’s main goal was to portray characters making sacrifices for their ambitions. From this play, Shakespeare puts forth the idea of sacrifice through pointing out the importance of reputation and how sacrifices must be made to silence the truth.

    Read More

  • Why Is Othello A Hero

    1121 Words  | 5 Pages

    Desdemona, daughter to senator Brabantio has spurned the advances of eligible young Venetian men, but is captivated by Othello chiefly because of his harsh experiences. We first come

    Read More

  • Othello Rhetoric Analysis

    1095 Words  | 5 Pages

    With the laws of Venice miles behind them, the characters of Othello seem to have entered a Hobbesian state of nature where anything is permissible so long as it furthers the individual interest. Indeed, upon arriving in Cyprus, the majority of the characters have lives that are “poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Hobbes 76). Othello is the perfect illustration of the dangers of rhetoric. Iago exemplified the type of rhetoric that made the Greek demagogues threatening.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Desdemona's Jealousy In Othello

    971 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is also important to note that there are different types of jealousy at play in Othello for different characters-- Iago’s envy of Cassio is not in the same branch as Othello and Brabanzio’s watchfulness and ownership over Desdemona. Unfortunately, in the case of Othello, Desdemona’s class is often hidden as a source of jealousy, due to her innocent characterization and place as the long-suffering victim. However, it is still made evident to the audience that Desdemona is a valuable resource to be had. This is made to be even more of a problem when race is brought into the equation-- not only is Desdemona of a higher class than Othello, she is also of a higher ranking race as a white

    Read More

  • Thesis Statement For Othello

    494 Words  | 2 Pages

    As humans we all have been where rumors have been spread about us or where we do the opposite. They, however, all tend to do some harm to us and it can cause certain conflicts to occur during the process. Death can be the outcome of something like this because this did happen to three innocent people. They were all wrapped up in a bed of lies that ended their lives sooner than expected. Thesis statement: Othello Desdemona and Emilia ended up with unfortunate deaths because of Othello 's integrity towards Iago.

    Read More

  • The Audience In Othello

    931 Words  | 4 Pages

    The common aim of playwrights of any time or location is to capture and hold the attention of their audience; this is what Shakespeare has clearly done. The tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, is one of Shakespeare 's most renowned plays. Through construction of intriguing characters, exploration of universal themes, use of comic relief and a well-written script featuring a compelling plot, Shakespeare ensured the tragedy of Othello would hold the interest of the audience; despite being over four centuries old. It possesses so many conditions that can be accentuated to hit nerves with both a Shakespearean and modern audience. The entire plot of Othello is very much like the attitudes and methods of our modern day society.

    Read More

  • Example Of Mistrust In Othello

    773 Words  | 4 Pages

    Even a father thinks women act one way and are not what they seem. Then Brabantio, still enraged about the new marriage, continues to say, “Keep an eye on her, Moor. She lied to me, and she may lie to you”(1.3.5-6). This shows that Brabantio believes that Desdemona will continue to be deceiving. He suggests that women have to earn their trust and that they do not deserve trust from their significant others.

    Read More

  • Masculinity In Othello

    1010 Words  | 5 Pages

    For Shakespeare’s plays to contain enduring ideas, it must illustrate concepts that still remain relevant today, in modern society. Shakespeare utilises his tragic play Othello, to make an important social commentary on the common gender stereotypes. During early modern England, Shakespeare had to comply to the strict social expectations where women were viewed as tools, platonic and mellow, and where men were displayed as masculine, powerful, tempered, violent and manipulative. As distinct as this context is to the 21st century, the play exposes how women were victimised by the men who hold primary power in the community in which they compelled women to conform to the ideal world of a perfect wife or confront an appalling destiny for challenging the system. Moreover, Shakespeare utilises the main antagonist, Iago, to portray how men are desperate to achieve what they want and to indirectly fulfil the stereotype of masculinity and power through manipulation.

    Read More

  • New Historicism In Othello

    1636 Words  | 7 Pages

    In Othello, Othello and Desdemona are both characters that are struggling with their identities. In the beginning of the play we find Othello as a respectful man that is successful, but then we get Iago that manipulates him to make him seem as the bad guy. We also find Desdemona that turns against her father and the Elizabethan society to marry Othello, but we also find that she is respectful and obedient to Othello.

    Read More

  • Themes In Harlem Duet

    1382 Words  | 6 Pages

    Othello is for instance not really Othello 's play. Othello is not Othello 's story” (Buntin). Othello is focused more on the schemes of Iago and the tragic life of Desdemona. By retelling this story Sears is putting Othello in the centre of the narrative and giving focus to the nuances of his life as a black man. Dickson

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Aime Cesaire's A Tempest

    1180 Words  | 5 Pages

    “A Tempest” is as a derivative of Shakespeare ’s play “The Tempest” by Aime Cesaire. Cesaire makes a number of alterations in his adaptation of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”. These alterations have been made in order to outline the change in time eras between the two playwrights’ time of existence and to illustrate the great social change that occurred in these periods, mainly colonialism by the West, the subsequent theme of the quest for freedom as well as the theme of power that resonates throughout the play. This essay aims at exploring the similarities and to draw attention to the alterations made by Cesaire in “A Tempest” and the subsequent effects of these alterations on the audience.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Jealousy In Othello

    621 Words  | 3 Pages

    Comparing Othello to an “old black ram” introduces animalistic imagery, and puts him at a level below humans on the Great Chain of Being. The coming together of an animal and a human would disrupt the chain, and was thought to also disrupt the laws of nature and cause bizarre events to occur. The descriptive word, “black” highlighted that in the Renaissance times, black stood for sin and evilness. Emilia’s views on men are discovered through the metaphor comparing men to “stomachs” and women to “food”. Men “eat us hungrily, and when they are full they belch us”, implies men get rid of women as soon as they have had enough of them, and therefore should not be trusted.

    Read More

More about Historicism In Othello

Open Document