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    Othello Companion (Includes Study Guide, Historical Context, Biography, and Character Index)
    Othello Companion (Includes Study Guide, Historical Context, Biography, and Character Index)
    Othello Companion (Includes Study Guide, Historical Context, Biography, and Character Index)
    Ebook60 pages25 minutes

    Othello Companion (Includes Study Guide, Historical Context, Biography, and Character Index)

    By BookCaps

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    About this ebook

    Othello is one of the greatest plays ever written--but let's face it..if you don't understand it, then you are not alone. This annotated book includes a summary of each scene, and an overview of themes and characters. It does not contain the play.

    We all need refreshers every now and then. Whether you are a student trying to cram for that big final, or someone just trying to understand a book more, BookCaps can help. We are a small, but growing company, and are adding titles every month.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookCaps
    Release dateMar 15, 2013
    ISBN9781301628537
    Othello Companion (Includes Study Guide, Historical Context, Biography, and Character Index)
    Author

    BookCaps

    We all need refreshers every now and then. Whether you are a student trying to cram for that big final, or someone just trying to understand a book more, BookCaps can help. We are a small, but growing company, and are adding titles every month.Visit www.bookcaps.com to see more of our books, or contact us with any questions.

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      Book preview

      Othello Companion (Includes Study Guide, Historical Context, Biography, and Character Index) - BookCaps

      William Shakespeare’s

      Othello

      Includes Study Guide, Historical Context, Biography, and Character Index

      By BookCaps Study Guides/Golgotha Press

      © 2011 by Golgotha Press, Inc.

      Published at SmashWords

      Historical Context

      Shakespeare was born in 1564 to middle-class parents in England. He received limited schooling and married in 1582 to an older woman. In 1590, Shakespeare left his family and moved to London to start his career, and soon became immensely successful. At the height of his career, he helped build the Globe Theatre to accommodate the popularity of his plays. Because of the high demand for new entertainment, Shakespeare wrote a total of 37 known plays and numerous poems.

      One of Shakespeare's more popular tragedies, Othello was first performed for King James I in 1604, although the exact year it was written is not known. The story, like many of Shakespeare's works, is based on another tale. In 1565, a writer nicknamed Cinthio wrote a short story about a nameless Moor wed to a beautiful lady. Driven mad by jealousy because of his ensign's manipulations, and taking a handkerchief as proof of adultery, the Moor kills his wife and is sent into exile. Shakespeare took the bare plot of this story in order to forge his own creation. He altered the plot and characters in order to better explore the themes of race and stereotypes prevalent during that time period.

      When Othello was written, the term Moor was used to refer to Africans and others who had darker skin. In 1601, three years before Othello was performed, Queen Elizabeth deported all the Moors from England for several reasons, but one of them was the stereotype that they were wild and more savage than their white counterparts. Using Othello, Shakespeare breaks these stereotypes. Although Othello is referred to as a bestial man in the beginning of the play, when the audience first sees him they form an opinion of an intelligent, respectable man. By turning Othello into a noble figure, and making the primary villain of the play a white man, the play explores these stereotypes and makes a social statement. In the original story, the Moor is not a hero, but Shakespeare turns Othello into a tragic hero with his actions and eventual suicide.

      Othello was published in print for the first time in 1622. After his death Shakespeare quickly became known as England's best playwright and remains highly influential to this day. Because so many facts about Shakespeare's life are unknown, there are some who think that Shakespeare was a woman, or that someone else actually wrote the plays. However, there is no hard evidence to back these conspiracies up. While people may always argue about Shakespeare's true identity, his plays have become an important part of literary history.

      Plot

      In Venice, Iago and Roderigo are plotting. Iago wants revenge against Othello, a Moor who is his superior. Roderigo wants to sleep with a Desdemona, whom Othello has just married. They go to Brabantio's window, a senator and Desdemona's father and wake him up. They tell him his daughter has run off, and when he goes to check Iago leaves. Brabantio finds out his daughter is gone and demands that she be found.

      Meanwhile, Othello is summoned to a midnight call by Cassio on behalf of the Duke. Brabantio and Roderigo come up and order Othello arrested. They agree to go before the Duke and let him decide. At the palace, the Duke is talking with his councilors. The Turks have amassed a fleet and are planning on attacking Cyprus. The

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