Who said this?
“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!”
Iago
What was the belief that everything in the universe had a fixed, natural order?
The Great Chain of Being
Othello elopes with Desdemona.
Act 1, sc 1-3
“Jealousy is the green-eyed monster.”
Metaphor
In what era did Shakespeare write?
The Elizabethan era (late 1500s–early 1600s)
“I am not what I am.”
Iago
Why was interracial marriage controversial in Elizabethan society?
Was considered a threat to the nutural order
The storm destroys the Turkish fleet.
Act 2, Scene 1 (Cyprus)
“An old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe.”
What was the name of Shakespeare’s theatre company?
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later the King’s Men)
“She loved me for the dangers I had passed.”
Othello
What was the dominant expectation of women in Elizabethan society?
Obedience and chastity
Iago gets Cassio drunk and starts the brawl.
Act 2, Scene 3
“Put out the light, and then put out the light…”
Symbolism and repetition
What form were most of Shakespeare’s plays written in?
“I do perceive here a divided duty.”
Desdemona
How did belief in divine right influence views on authority in Othello?
Disobeying rulers (or husbands) was seen as disobeying God.
Othello demands “the ocular proof.”
Act 3, Scene 3
“I kissed thee ere I killed thee.”
antithesis/opposite/juxtaposition
Name one major event in England that influenced Shakespeare’s writing.
The plague / political instability / colonial expansion
“Then heaven have mercy on me!”
Emilia
How does Othello’s role as a Moorish general challenge Elizabethan views on race and power?
He holds high authority despite racial prejudice, challenging expectations.
Emilia exposes Iago’s lies and is killed.
Act 5, Scene 2
“Her name, that was as fresh / As Dian’s visage, is now begrimed and black.”
simile/colour imagery/symbolism
How did Jacobean concerns about corruption and power influence Othello?
The play reflects fears of manipulation, betrayal, and the fall of honourable leaders.