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Exploring Shakespeare's Othello: Themes of Jealousy and Human Nature

Shakespeare's Othello, based on Giraldi Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, delves into complex themes such as love, jealousy, and betrayal. Set against the backdrop of Venice and Cyprus, the play presents a small cast that intensifies the drama's focus. Othello stands as an exemplary work of Aristotelian tragedy, emphasizing character motivations and the battle between appearance and reality. Iago, a compelling antagonist, is characterized by ambiguous motivations, adding depth to the exploration of morality and societal defiance. Through its timeless themes, Othello remains a poignant reflection on human psychology.

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Exploring Shakespeare's Othello: Themes of Jealousy and Human Nature

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    1. By the Bard

    2. As usual…just an idea he adopted The plot of Shakespeare's Othello is largely taken from Giraldi Cinthio's Gli Hecatommithi, a tale of love, jealousy, and betrayal However, the characters, themes, and attitudes of the works are vastly different, with Shakespeare's play being a more involved study of human nature and psychology.

    3. Setting Begins in Venice, Italy and transitions to the island of Cyprus Printed in 1622

    4. Background Info 1 HUGE difference in the motivation of Iago, the antagonist I’ll explain later as we read the play Iago's motivations are not nearly so plain in Shakespeare's version. Othello also touches upon a major issue in Europe of this time period The intermingling of Muslim religion and culture with the West

    5. Othello is considered to be a prime example of Aristotelian drama It focuses upon a very small cast of characters, one of the smallest used in Shakespeare, has few distractions from the main plot arc, and concentrates on just a few themes, like jealousy Background Info

    6. Iago The character of Iago is a variation on the Vice figure found in earlier morality plays He deviates from this model because of his lack of a clear motivation,

    7. Why is it so popular? One reason for the overwhelming popularity of the play throughout the ages is that it focuses on two people who defied society in order to follow their own hearts

    8. Themes Appearance vs. reality Race Pride Magic Order vs. chaos Good vs. evil Honesty Self-knowledge

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