What does othello teach us

What is Othello's tragic flaw that causes his downfall? In order to get the most out of Othello , students should understand the play's cultural context, especially its historic Venetian setting. Because of its location along the Mediterranean trade route, Renaissance-era Venice attracted people from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. However, Venice's original inhabitants considered many of these people outsiders.

A background lesson about historic Venetian society may help students better understand the reasons certain characters treat Othello with disdain. Readers should also recognize Othello 's groundbreaking status in Western literature as one of the earliest plays to address racism and feature a black protagonist.

Through Othello , students can witness and examine the effects of racism, specifically isolation and stereotyping, on a person. With the case of the titular character in mind, do stereotypes tend to yield self-fulfilling prophecies?

Class discussion may extend to other related topics as well, including gender discrimination, as seen in the treatment of Desdemona and Emilia.

After he is passed over for a promotion to lieutenant, the jealous Iago seeks revenge on those who have wronged him. Only when Othello buys into the absurd idea that his race inherently makes him dangerous does he begin to creep toward the possibility of doing violence to his wife. Ace your assignments with our guide to Othello! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Why does Iago hate Othello? How does Emilia help Iago? How does Iago use Bianca to trick Othello?

Why does Iago hate Cassio? Why does Roderigo wake up Brabantio? Why does Othello go to Cyprus? Why does Roderigo agree to kill Cassio? Compared to Portia, Desdemona seems passive, meek and submissive. Her innocence is her primary weakness that leads her to death. Tragic Heroes or Tragic Victims If a tragic plot describes the disastrous downfall of the protagonist, it is easy to see that the knight-at-arms undergoes a disastrous downfall.

He ends the poem in a limbic condition, neither alive nor dead, neither up nor down, and capable only of relating his story to passers-by. All of this amounts to Iago convincing Othello that Desdemona is no good, which leads him to commit the tearful murder of his own wife. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home What can we learn from Othello?

Ben Davis May 26,