Context: The Ottoman-Venetian Wars (1570-1573)

"News, lads! Our wars are done:
The desperate tempest hath so banged the Turks
That their designment halts. A noble ship of Venice
Hath seen a grievous wreck and sufference
On the most part of their fleet

- Othello, II.I, lines 20 to 24

The Ottoman-Venetian wars allow us to date Othello precisely, to the summer of 1573, at the end of the war which saw the Ottoman Empire, an Islamic force which was commonly accepted as the strongest Empirical force of the day, run a conquest against Cyprus, a Venetian colony which, in the play, Othello is sent to defend and govern.

However, in Othello, Shakespeare twists history to paint his tragic hero as more heroic, as the Turks actually won the wars, despite the above quote, with the Venetians seceding Cyprus, and a significant amount of money, to the Turks as a peace settlement in order to facilitate further trade between the two nations.

A brief over-view of the wars

Cyprus had been under Venetian rule since 1489, but was in the centre of the Ottoman Empire by 1517, when Ottoman secured Egypt, leaving it vulnerable to attack.

Despite a peace treaty with Venice in 1567, then, the Ottomans launched a naval and land invasion of the island in 1570s, taking all of its major cities between June and August of that year; massacres of Christians (resident under Venetian rule) ensued, with women and boys being saved to be sold on as slaves.

Venice, with the support of the Pope, secured backing from Spain, Portugal, and other states which make up what we now know as Italy, in order to take on the Ottomans, but they were nevertheless unsuccessful, realising the cost of the war in both arms and lost trade by 1573, when a peace treaty was drawn up between the Ottomans and the Venetians, seceding Cyprus to the Ottoman Empire, where it remained until 1879 (when it was given the Britain in a peace negotiation following the so-called "Eastern Problems" which lead to the eventual disillusion of the Ottoman Empire).

Relevance to the play
Critics agree unanimously that, as Othello was written in the early 1600s, it is definitely set at the end of these wars.

Thus, the fact that Shakespeare presents a Venetian victory suggests even greater power from the Venetian state, with Othello arriving in Cyprus in Act II as governor, giving him a position of greater power as he is asked to keep the peace.

Although it is not specifically stipulated in the play, the suggestion is that the "warlike Moor Othello" arrives fresh from battle, and thus has helped to secure a Venetian victory, painting him as all the more the hero, thus making his tragic fall at the end of the play even more tragic.

And YAY ME for getting more military history into my Othello revision!

Hope that made sense; any questions, just ask!

- HistGrrl x

Context: what counts?

As explained in the specification, it's important to have a heavy contextual knowledge of random little nuggets which you can throw in for the examiner's pleasure.

The more random, the better - because, after all, that'll make you unique. You just have to make sure that they're correct!

So, some general contextual ideas for each play are listed below. They may be approached in greater detail at a later date, however.

Context in 'Othello'

Race
The Elizabethans and Jacobians had no concept of race, therefore the characters in the play cannot be construed as racist. This means that the effect of the play on a contemporary audience is very different from the effect of the play on a modern audience.

Arrangement of marriages
Women of Desdemona's stature would simply not have chosen their own marriage partners - and this is a common theme in Shakespearean drama. See 'Romeo + Juliet' for example.

Turkish wars
These date the play precisely; more information can be found on Wikipedia.

Role of women
Especially with reference to the character of Emilia, who is not the traditional meek wife, given that she is the one who 'outs' Iago as the culprit for all of the events of the play. Desdemona, too, subverts convention by marrying of her own free will. Iago's attitude to women should also be considered.

Tragedy
How does 'Othello' fit in the traditional tragic ark? (To be covered in a later blog)

Context in 'Equus'

Religion
An especially touchy subject given the 1970s setting and the Irish problems (to be covered in a later blog)

Commercialism
Alan's fixation on products and jingles, as well as Frank's socialist tendencies, lend themselves to the theme of 1970s materialism; the 1970s are a period when it is believed that Britain's materialistic edge fully began to develop, and 'Equus' highlights Shaffer's views on the effects this might have on society.

Psychoanalysis
A particularly relevant theme, given that attitudes to psychosis were altering significantly in this period.

Role of women
Debatable - but could possibly be shoe-horned in if the worst came to the worst!

Conservatism
And it's effects on people's attitudes to Alan; cold war politics and fear of the unknown.

Utter proof that I'm truly a history geek and not a literature student; I managed to get the words "cold war" into this! YAY!

Any questions are welcomed - comment :)

- HistGrrl x

'Othello' Synopsis

Othello, by William Shakespeare, is a traditional tragedy telling the story of a Moorish (black) general, Othello, of the Venician army, who defies convention when he woos and marries the "fair" (white) Desdemona, daughter of a Venetian dignitary. Her father is ruffled by this, and, upon learning she married Othello of her own free will, warns him of her potential deception later in the marriage.

Othello is then sent to defend the Venetian colony of Cyprus from the Turks; Desdemona goes too, in the care of Iago, Othello's standard barer.

Iago reveals himself to be grossly jealous of Othello for his status, and to be angered by the fact that he was not promoted to Lieutenant, with a young Florentine, Cassio, receiving this honour in his place; thus begins his plan for vengeance.

He provokes a 'friend', Roderigo, into starting a drunken brawl with Cassio, who fights and is disgraced. Cassio turns to Desdemona for help; she promises to do all she can to get him back in Othello's favour.

Iago uses this to persuade Othello that Desdemona is in love with, and committing adultery with, Cassio - proof of which is seen when Desdemona's handkerchief is found in Cassio's possession (when, truthfully, Iago placed it there).

Reluctantly, Othello agrees that Desdemona must surely be a whore, and breaks down, allowing Iago to point him towards revenge. He asks Iago to kill Cassio; Iago stabs Roderigo in the fray, with Cassio surviving. Othello then turns his sights on Desdemona, strangling her in her bed, but insisting too that she prays first - proving that he has not stopped loving her.

Emilia (Iago's wife and Desdemona's maid) comes to tell Othello about the brawl and Roderigo's death, instead finding him in the process of killing Desdemona. She calls for help, and Venetian senators arrive, eventually unravelling Iago's plot thanks to her quick wit and evidence.

Iago kills her for this, and is taken away, presumably to be tortured.

Othello commits suicide, taking justice into his own hands and going to join his wife.

Cassio is left as General.

Synopsis (c) TheHistoryGrrl 2010

Themes are woven throughout the synopsis

For a more detailed synopsis, see wikipedia.